Barcelona are travelling by bus for Tuesdays Champions League semi-final first leg at Inter Milan,showing not even grounded flights and a huge volcanic ash cloud can halt the brilliance of Lionel Messi and Co. Inter,though,did manage to stop the holders from scoring in September when they met in a goalless draw in the group stages at the San Siro. A 0-0 draw in the La Liga derby with Espanyol on Saturday and tired limbs from the 985-km bus trip,including an overnight stay in Cannes,will also give Inter hope that Barca will not be at their sparkling best. An ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano has stopped air transport for much of Europe but Barca are not making excuses. With so many hours together on the coach,I am sure it will help us to be more united and create a tight-knit group to beat Inter, midfielder Sergio Busquets said. Its a long journey and its not something we are used to but with music and some films Im sure the trip will feel much shorter, he said. The Spanish powerhouse are favourites to win the title and become the first team since AC Milan in 1990 to be European champions for a second straight season. We know Inter will make it tough for us, Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets said. We have been having a lot of big games and its not the ideal way to travel to Milan,but there can be no excuses. We have to get a good result that will allow us to go into the second leg with confidence. No Iniesta,but Ibras back But key midfielder Iniesta will not be in the squad for the first leg after a recurrence of a right thigh injury that already kept him out of the starting lineup for the quarterfinal victory over Arsenal. Coach Pep Guardiola,without Iniesta but with former Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and left back Eric Abidal back in his squad,has plenty of time to mull tactics. In recent games,Guardiola has dropped one forward in his habitual attacking trident in favour of a full back,Daniel Alves or Maxwell,who have played in an advanced role to help combat opponents attempts to crowd the midfield. However,it was not very effective on Saturday. Meticulous Inter coach Jose Mourinho will have taken note of how Espanyol successfully harried and disrupted Barcas creative department,keeping Messi and Xavi largely under wraps with close man-to-man marking. Tactical changes Media reports have,therefore,speculated Mourinho could make another surprise tactical move for Tuesday after the way his unexpectedly attacking line-up stifled Chelsea. Right back Maicon may be asked to play in a more advanced role to pack the midfield like Barca,some reports have said. UEFA said in a statement on Sunday that the game and Wednesdays other semi-final first leg between Bayern Munich and Olympique Lyon would go ahead despite the travel problems. Inter are glad the match has not been postponed after rediscovering their confidence and swagger in a 2-0 win over Juventus on Friday. Their Serie A title defence had stumbled badly in recent weeks despite their impressive elimination of Chelsea in the Champions League last 16. We have to prepare for the match with tranquillity. Games like these are played more with your mind than with your feet, Inters former Barca striker Samuel Etoo told Inter Channel. Inter,who lost 2-0 at Barca in their second group meeting in November,are at full strength apart from left back Davide Santon being ruled out after minor knee surgery. Probable teams Inter Milan: Julio Cesar,Maicon,Walter Samuel,Lucio,Javier Zanetti,Thiago Motta,Esteban Cambiasso,Dejan Stankovic,Wesley Sneijder,Samuel Etoo,Diego Milito Barcelona: Victor Valdes,Daniel Alves,Gerard Pique,Gabriel Milito,Eric Abidal,Xavi,Sergio Busquets,Seydou Keita,Lionel Messi,Zlatan Ibrahimovic,Pedro
