Who could take a penalty if Inter-Barcelona semi-final goes to a shoot-out | OneFootball

As Inter prepare to host Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League final second leg on Tuesday night, here is a look at who could take a penalty if the tie remains level after 120 minutes in San Siro.

Inter and Barcelona drew 3-3 in a spectacle in Montjuic last week, with goals coming from Marcus Thuram, two from Denzel Dumfries plus individual efforts from Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres and Raphinha, whose strike went down as a Yann Sommer own goal.

The two teams will meet again for the reverse fixture in San Siro on Tuesday night, which will go to extra time and then penalties if the tie is still level at the end of play.

Who could take a penalty in Inter-Barcelona

Both teams have clear first-choice penalty takers. For Inter, it is Hakan Calhanoglu, and for Barcelona it is Robert Lewandowski, who has been included in Hansi Flick’s squad, but it remains to be seen how long he will play for on his return from injury.

MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 06: Hakan Calhanoglu of FC Internazionale scores his team’s first goal from the penalty-spot during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between FC Internazionale Milano and Arsenal FC at Stadio San Siro on November 06, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

If the tie does go to a shootout, the situation becomes a bit more difficult to predict, given that not every starter will last the full two hours.

While Lautaro Martinez would typically be near the top of Inter’s penalty taker list, it is unlikely that he is able to last the full 120 minutes on Tuesday night given the current situation surrounding his fitness. While there are no major concerns regarding his fitness, there are no guarantees that Marcus Thuram will still be on the pitch in the 120th minute, either.

It is not out of the question that Piotr Zielinski comes on and takes a penalty for Inter. He has scored two out of three from 12 yards for the Nerazzurri this season, and has scored nine from 11 attempts across his career.

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – MARCH 05: Piotr Zielinski of FC Internazionale shoots and misses a penalty kick during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 first leg match between Feyenoord and FC Internazionale Milano at De Kuip on March 05, 2025 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Nicolo Barella is one of the expected Inter starters who could play the full 120 minutes if required. He has not taken a spot kick in Nerazzurri colours, but converted four out of five from his time with Cagliari.

As there are no guarantees that Lautaro or Thuram will still be on the pitch if the game goes to a penalty shoot-out, it is likely that Mehdi Taremi comes on and takes one. The 32-year-old Iranian has plenty of experience from the spot, having scored 59 and missed 10 in his career to date for a record just shy of six scored for every seven taken.

Mehdi Taremi scores penalty for Inter 11 minutes into pre-season friendly against Las Palmas (July 27, 2024)

According to SportMediaset, centre-back Francesco Acerbi will also make himself available to take a penalty if required.

For Barcelona, the situation also depends on who is still on the pitch should the game go all the way to a shoot-out.

Aside from Lewandowski, Barcelona’s typical go-to penalty takers include Raphinha, Pedri and Lamine Yamal, while Fermin Lopez, Gavi and Inigo Martinez could also be in line to take one.