Lautaro Martinez on verge of Inter comeback in time for Barcelona | OneFootball

Inter captain and starting centre-forward Lautaro Martinez is on the verge of recovering from his recent flexor injury in time to face Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday night according to Monday’s front page of La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Inter and Barca are currently level at 3-3 after goals from Marcus Thuram, Denzel Dumfries, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres and Raphinha, whose strike went down as a Yann Sommer own goal.

In a concerning scene for the Nerazzurri, captain Lautaro was struggling towards the end of the first half in Barcelona, and did not re-emerge for the second, replaced by Mehdi Taremi at the interval.

BARCELONA, SPAIN – APRIL 30: Lautaro Martinez of FC Internazionale warms up with teammate Denzel Dumfries prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Semi Final First Leg match between FC Barcelona and FC Internazionale Milano at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on April 30, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Inter later confirmed that the Argentine had suffered an injury to the flexor muscles in his thigh, and that his condition would be reviewed on a day-by-day basis.

Reports Lautaro Martinez likely to start against Barcelona

Reports last week claimed that it would require a ‘miracle’ for Lautaro to get back to fitness in time for Barcelona, as his injury typically requires around 10 days to two weeks worth of recovery.

However, according to Monday’s print edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport, Lautaro will take part in a decent portion of Inter’s training session on Monday, and will have another opportunity to train with the team ahead of kick-off on Tuesday morning.

MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 16: Lautaro Martinez of FC Internazionale celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Quarter Final Second Leg match between FC Internazionale Milano and FC Bayern München at San Siro on April 16, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

The Pink Paper claims that not only will Lautaro be available on Tuesday night, but he is increasingly likely to start for the Nerazzurri, just six days after suffering his injury in the first leg.

With such a short turnaround between Champions League and Serie A matches, Lautaro has only missed one full training session with his Inter teammates since the 3-3 draw in Barcelona on Wednesday, as well as the 1-0 win over Hellas Verona on Saturday.