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Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni has hailed Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal as the best player he has ever come up against. Bastoni also shared plans to stop the Spanish wonderkid ahead of their meeting in the UEFA Champions League this week.
Bastoni and Yamal are no strangers, having met on international duty during the group stage of the European Championships last summer, with Spain coming out on top, beating Italy 1-0.
Barcelona and Inter Milan clashed in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final last week. Yamal was unstoppable, bagging an impressive solo goal in a 3-3 draw at the Olimpic Lluis Companys.
As the two clubs prepare to lock horns in the second leg on Tuesday (May 6), Bastoni said that the 17-year-old Yamal is probably the best player he has ever faced.
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"(He) is probably the best player I’ve ever come up against,” Bastoni ltold Sky Sports Italia. “I’ve crossed paths with him at the Euros already. But now he’s risen to an even more impressive level.
“In terms of his age and ability to create danger, he’s already one of the best players around, if not the best," the Italy international added.
Alessandro Bastoni went on to share Inter Milan's plans to stop Yamal on Tueday:
“By doubling up, and constantly helping each other out. But without going too far because Barcelona also have other players of great quality. We need teamwork.”
The two clubs have faced each other in the Champions League 13 times, with the Blaugrana winning six and losing two.
How have Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal fared this season?
Alessandro Bastoni and Lamine Yamal are indispensable for their respective teams. Bastoni has been a rock-solid presence in Inter's defence all season, playing 49 games across competitions and contributing one goal and five assists.
Yamal, meanwhile, has been key for Barcelona since the start of the season, bagging 15 goals and 24 assists in 50 games across competitions. It will be interesting to see how they perform against each other when they meet at the Guiseppe Meaza.
