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

BARCELONA, SPAIN – APRIL 30: Players of FC Internazionale pose for a team photograph prior to the UEFA Champions 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 Carl Recine/Getty Images)

As Inter prepare to host Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions 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. 

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. 

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 primato just shy of six scored for every seven taken. 

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.