Both Inter Milan and Porto will switch their attention from enthralling title chases in their respective domestic leagues and focus on the return of the Champions League as Inter welcome Porto to the San Siro on Wednesday for the first leg of their round-of-16 tie at 20:00 GMT.
Inter look to be hitting form at the right time ahead of their Champions League clash against Porto. They impressively dispatched Udinese 3-1 at the San Siro.
Porto have also closed the gap at the top of the Primeira Liga to just 2 behind league leaders Benfica. The Portuguese side will be looking for a good result in Italy to take to the Estadio Dragao in the tie’s second leg.
Key Highlights
Inter Hitting Form at the Right Time
Simone Inzaghi and his charges have hit the right strike as the second half of the season hots up. The Nerazzuri are unbeaten in their last four outings; they have picked up three wins and a draw in this run.
However, Inter will know they need to be flawless between now and the end of the season to stand a chance of reeling in Napoli’s imperious 15-point lead at the top of the Serie A table.
Inzaghi will be looking to extend this positive run of form into their Champions League clash on Wednesday as they host Portuguese side Porto.
Porto’s Winning Run
Sérgio Conceição and his men have won five out of their last five assignments in the Primeira Liga as they have stepped up their pressure on league leaders Benfica, with the current standing at 2 points.
Conceição will look to transfer this good domestic form into their European Champions League outings when they visit the San Siro to face Inter Milan for the first leg of this tie.
Porto’s target will be to ensure they remain in the tie ahead of the second leg at the Estadio Dragao. This means they will look compact and solid even as they pose an attacking threat.
Injury Report
Inter Milan
Simone Inzaghi will have two injury headaches ahead of welcoming Porto on Wednesday. Firstly, left-back Dalbert has been nursing a cruciate ligament injury since July 14th, 2022. The 29-year-old has missed a massive 32 matches for the Nerazzuri so far.
Joaquin Correa is also out with a hamstring injury. The 28-year-old forward has been out of action since February 4th this year and is expected to be back fit by March 14th, 2023.
FC Porto
Sérgio Conceição has a longer injury list to contend with than his Inter counterpart ahead of their match. Otavio (muscle fatigue), Gabriel Veron (ankle), and Fabio Cardoso (unknown injury) are all out of the trip to the San Siro.
Porto will also be without the services of center-forward Evanilson (unknown), left winger Galeno (ruptured spleen), and defensive midfielder Uribe (ruptured spleen); these are doubts for the match.
Possible Lineups
Inter Milan
S. Handanovic; M. Darmian, F. Acerbi, A. Bastoni; D. Dumfries, N. Barella, M. Brozovic, H. Mkhitaryan, F. Dimarco; E. Dzeko, R. Lukaku
FC Porto
D. Costa; Z. Sanusi, I. Marcano, Pepe, J. M; Galeno, M. Grujic, M. Uribe, A. Franco; Pepe, M. Taremi
Prediction
Simone Inzaghi and his men will look to take advantage of the home support to take a major step toward the quarter-finals. They will look to dominate proceedings on Wednesday as they will boss the midfield and possession against Porto.
Sérgio Conceição and his men will look to make sure that Inter does not overrun them on Wednesday. They will set out to be solid at the back and compact in midfield. They will defend as a team and use their passing the escape pressing to launch transition attacks.
Inter are favorites to win this match and take the lead to the second leg in Portugal.
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