"Lamine is a great player, but Messi has no comparison"

Inter Milan's Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez has praised winger Lamine Yamal, one of the leaders of Barcelona's Champions League semi-final opponents, although he has avoided putting him on a par with Lionel Messi.

"Leo for me has no comparison, because he is and will be the best of all time. I'm not going to make that comparison. Lamine is an important player. At his young age he is doing a great job, he has won titles with the national team and he has a great future and is a great player", he said in the press conference before the first leg of the semi-final.

The striker highlighted the "offensive power" of Barca, which is why he stressed that they will have to do a "great defensive job" to counteract the top-scoring team in this Champions League. "We are a team that has defended very well against important opponents and important players. We have to try to stop them from creating goal situations".

The Italian side face the tie in a moment of doubt after three consecutive defeats. Despite this, Lautaro is "optimistic" that they can do well against Barca, as the squad is "strong and united".

"In three years, we have reached two Champions League semi-finals, something that hasn't happened in many years. We are thinking about doing our job and fulfilling the dream of our fans: that Inter will play in a Champions League final again," he added.

The Inter captain is convinced that they will be able to "turn this situation around" and urged his team-mates to face the clash against the Azulgrana side "with personality". "The heart and the effort have to be present. We have worked hard and we have recharged our energy", he added.