Following another disappointment in Serie A, Inter could use their trip to the Estadio da Luz to meet Benfica in the Champions League quarter-finals as a welcoming distraction. Simone Inzaghi’s future at the Giuseppe Meazza might unfold on Tuesday when the two sides lock horns in the first leg in Lisbon.
Despite taking an early lead in last weekend’s mouth-watering home encounter against arch-rivals Porto, Benfica succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at full-time. While that’s not the result they had hoped for ahead of their impending return to the European front, the Eagles are still in the driver’s seat to win their first Primeira Liga title since 2018/19.
With seven points separating them from second-placed Porto, Roger Schmidt’s men are in cruising control of domestic proceedings. But after an impressive continental campaign, they’re unlikely to slow down, especially with a piece of history up for grabs. The two-time European Cup winners could make it out of the quarter-finals for the first time in the Champions League era.
Given Benfica’s outstanding record of only three defeats in their last 25 European matches on home turf (W16, D6), Inter will have to play out of their skin to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since their triumphant 2009/10 campaign. However, the spirits are at an all-time low in Inzaghi’s camp after Antonio Candreva’s last-gasp screamer held the Nerazzurri to an underwhelming 1-1 draw last Friday.
An abysmal result at Salernitana, highlighted by another epic miss from Romelu Lukaku, condemned Inter to a sixth consecutive game without a win in all competitions (D3, L3). As a result, Inzaghi has found himself in a ‘make or break’ situation. Indeed, anything other than an aggregate triumph over Benfica would likely accelerate his inevitable departure.
The visitors have dropped out of the Serie A top four for the first time in 2023 after a dreadful spell of form. Their domestic form wobble puts the emphasis on the Champions League, where they’ve fared reasonably well this season. However, Inter cannot take anything for granted.
Match Preview
Benfica
The abovementioned loss to Porto knocked Benfica down from a scintillating eight-match winning streak in all competitions, which included a brace of overwhelming victories over Club Brugge in the previous Champions League round. Schmidt’s side coasted to a 2-0 first-leg win in Belgium before claiming an eye-catching 5-1 victory on home turf.
Except for a 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain in the group stages, the Eagles have won all of their four remaining home outings in the Champions League this term, including a goal-glutted 4-3 triumph over Juventus. That result solidified Benfica’s stellar home record against Italian clubs in major European competitions (W7, D4, L3), underlining their tag as pre-match favorites.
Player to Watch: Goncalo Ramos
As one of the most sought-after prospects in European football, Goncalo Ramos will be under the spotlight on Tuesday, with numerous top clubs dispatching scouts to watch him play first-hand. The 21-year-old forward has tallied three goals and as many assists in eight Champions League appearances this season.
Inter
An ominously-looking form is not the only problem Inter must address if they’re to overcome Benfica. The Italians must defy a ‘quarter-final jinx’ that’s seen them fold at this hurdle in four of their six last-eight jaunts. But they can draw some courage from squeezing past another Portuguese juggernaut in the previous knockout round, eliminating Porto 1-0 on aggregate.
Inzaghi’s men are now unbeaten in their last three Champions League knockout fixtures (W2, D1), keeping a clean sheet on each occasion. Another shutout would see Inter go four consecutive Champions League knockout games without conceding for the first time in the club’s history. Yet, a poor return of zero clean sheets in their last four competitive matches tells a different story.
Player to Watch: Lautaro Martinez
Lautaro Martinez’s career at Inter has hit its low point, but the Argentine remains a force to be reckoned with, no matter a rough patch. Seven of his eight goals for the Nerazzurri in the Champions League have come away from home, qualifying him for our ‘Player to Watch’ section.
Team News
Benfica will be without experienced campaigner Nicolas Otamendi due to a yellow-card suspension. Ex-PSG ace Julian Draxler is still in the treatment room with an ankle injury, while prodigious right-back Alexander Bah picked up a knee problem against Porto last weekend.
As for Inter, Dalbert is the only definite absentee. Inzaghi still hopes to have Hakan Calhanoglu fit to make the bench at the very least. Other than the two, the Italians will have the remainder of the squad ready to make this potentially season-defining trip.
Benfica vs Inter Potential Lineups
Benfica (4-2-3-1): Odysseas Vlachodimos; Gilberto, Antonio Silva, Lucas Verissimo, Alex Grimaldo; Luis, Chiquinho; Joao Mario, Rafa Silva, Frederik Aursnes; Goncalo Ramos.
Inter (3-5-2): Andre Onana; Danilo D’Ambrosio, Stefan de Vrij, Alessandro Bastoni; Matteo Darmian, Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko.
Benfica vs Inter Prediction
Given what’s at stake and their current form woes, Inter wouldn’t mind sharing the spoils in Lisbon. But they’ll have to roll up their sleeves to make it happen, especially against this Benfica side. We can envisage both teams getting on the scoresheet in what could be another closely-contested fixture.
Prediction: Draw
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