Barça will arrive more rested than Inter at the Champions League: a key advantage in the semi-final?

FC Barcelona will soon face Inter Milan in a tie valid for the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25. A series that will kick off on Wednesday, April 30 at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys and conclude at the Giuseppe Meazza, in Italian territory, on Tuesday, May 6.

Unexpectedly, a minimal but important 'advantage' has emerged for Barcelona ahead of this crucial clash against Inter Milan. The reason? The difference in the number of rest days each team will have before the first leg of the 'semis'.

The Catalan team will arrive at the European clash after playing El Clásico against Real Madrid, corresponding to the final of the Copa del Rey, on Saturday, April 26 at the La Cartuja stadium. This will give Barcelona three full days of rest before the match against the 'nerazzurri', a standard period to recover energy after a highly demanding commitment.

The unexpected event that disrupts Inter Milan's plans

For their part, Inter Milan also planned to play their Serie A match against AS Roma on Saturday, April 26, so the planning seemed even. However, an extraordinary event has changed the plans. The death of Pope Francis has caused an alteration in multiple events in Italy, including football.

The official funeral of the Supreme Pontiff will be held precisely on Saturday the 26th, and as it is a ceremony of great magnitude, the match between Inter Milan and AS Roma has been rescheduled for Sunday, April 27 at 17:00 hours.

Nuova data per #InterRoma 👇

— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter) April 22, 2025

One less day of rest for the 'nerazzurri' team

This change implies that the 'nerazzurri' team will arrive at the Champions League commitment against Barcelona with one less day of rest than the 'culés', which represents an improvement compared to the initial scenario that was anticipated. At the time, it was even speculated that Simone Inzaghi's team could arrive at the European clash with up to seven days of rest, as there was no certainty as to when the match against the 'Wolf' would be rescheduled. Their only confirmed commitment was the return leg of the Copa Italia 'semis' against AC Milan, to be played this Wednesday, April 23.

Will this extra rest affect Barcelona?

With this calendar variation, Barcelona will gain an additional day of recovery, which could represent an important factor in the physical performance of both teams. Although in this type of high-level matches every detail counts, only the development of the match will tell if this advantage ends up being decisive.