Inter looking to power back up ahead of Champions League match at Barcelona

MILAN (AP) — Strange things happen when Inter Milan plays Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals.

The last time the two teams met in the final four of Europe’s elite club competition, in 2010, Barcelona had to make a 15-hour journey by bus to Milan after an ash cloud caused by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull shut down airspace.

Barcelona lost that first leg 3-1 and a stout defensive performance by Inter in the return match saw it advance to the final 3-2 on aggregate — where it beat Bayern Munich to clinch a historic treble under Jose Mourinho.

Inter fortunately didn't have to make a similarly arduous journey despite an unprecedented blackout bringing much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday.

Power had almost fully returned to Spain early Tuesday morning and Inter’s charter flight took off as scheduled for Barcelona at around 5 p.m. local time ahead of the first leg of their semifinal on Wednesday.

Barcelona’s 17-year-old star Lamine Yamal said he was caught at the team’s training grounds on the outskirts of the city when power went out just after noon on Monday.

“The truth is that we didn’t know what to do. I was with my teammates all day at the training center,” Yamal said on Tuesday. “The blackout made us all very nervous. But of course now we are only thinking about the semifinal that we are very motivated to play.”

Inter coach Simone Inzaghi will be hoping his team can power back up for the game as well.

Inter heads to Barcelona following a dire run of results that has seen its dreams of another treble evaporate.

For the first time in more than 13 years, Inter has lost three straight matches without scoring a goal.

Since a 2-2 draw against Bayern in the Champions League quarterfinals, the Nerazzurri have lost 1-0 to both Bologna and Roma in Serie A and 3-0 to AC Milan in the second leg of their Italian Cup semifinal.

That has also seen them been leapfrogged at the top of the Serie A table by Napoli, slipping three points behind the new league leader.

“We must always be ambitious, we have always shown that," Inzaghi said Tuesday. "We don’t know how the season will end: the league no longer depends on us, in the Champions League we are among the best four teams in Europe.

"These guys have given everything, clearly the last week was not positive but the team is fine, they are hungry, they will go into this semifinal with their heads held high, with a lot of desire and then we will see who will go to the final.”

Those three games, however, had something in common: Marcus Thuram was missing.

Thuram, who has been out with a left thigh issue, has scored 17 goals and provided nine assists across all competitions for Inter this season.

Without the France forward, Lautaro Martinez has appeared fatigued attempting to carry Inter’s attack. And Marko Arnautovic, Thuram’s replacement, has been ineffective.

But Thuram has returned to training, although it remains to be seen whether he is able to start on Wednesday.

“Thuram trained with the team for the first time today, we hadn’t seen him since Bayern,” Inzaghi said. “We did some good work — short — he showed some good signs, but I have to evaluate tomorrow morning and I’ll talk to him again.”

Inter is seeking a second Champions League final in three seasons after it lost to Manchester City in the trophy match in 2023.

AP writer Joseph Wilson contributed to this report from Barcelona, Spain.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Inter Milan's head coach Simone Inzaghi stands on the sideline during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Roma at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Inter Milan's Nicolo Barella lies on the pitch after missing a chance to score during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Roma at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Inter Milan's Marko Arnautovic reacts at the end of the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Roma at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Inter Milan's Marcus Thuram reacts after a missed scoring opportunity during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Inter Milan's head coach Simone Inzaghi reacts during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Roma at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

MIAMI (AP) — The Caribbean Series will return to the Miami Marlins' loanDepot park after the team reached a multiyear agreement with the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.

The deal will allow the Marlins, who hosted the Caribbean Series in 2024, to host three more editions of the winter league champions tournament beginning in 2028, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team has not made a formal announcement.

ESPN first reported the news.

The Marlins had already secured the 2028 edition of the tournament after bringing record numbers to Miami in 2024 — the first time the Caribbean Series was held at a major league ballpark. The future years are not yet set.

A crowd of 36,677 watched Venezuela beat the Dominican Republic in the championship at loanDepot park — the largest crowd ever for a Caribbean Series game and a higher attendance than the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship game (36,098) between the United States and Shohei Ohtani's Japan club held at the same venue.

Before returning to Miami, the Caribbean Series will be held in Caracas, Venezuela, in 2026 and Hermosillo, Mexico, in 2027.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Miami Marlins' Dane Myers stands on first base after drawing a walk during the second inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)