It’s Inter vs Benfica on Tuesday night at San Siro as the two giants in Group D are still searching for their first Champions League triumph this term. The Nerazzurri drew 1-1 away to Real Sociedad in their first game, whilst the Portuguese side suffered a 2-0 home defeat to RB Salzburg.
We are in for a crucial fixture between Inter and Benfica this week as the two sides are looking for their first victories in their bid for qualification. They were the two favorites to qualify out of the group but have not gotten off to the best of starts to their group stage campaigns.
The pair have both performed well in the Champions League over the past few seasons. Inter managed to reach the final last term but would go on to lose 1-0 against Manchester City. As for Benfica, they have reached the quarter-finals in each of their last two successive attempts. Let’s get into our Inter vs Benfica preview.
Inter Preview
Simone Inzaghi has carried on the momentum from the 2022/23 campaign into the next. Inter have been brilliant so far and currently sit atop of the Serie A table through seven games. However, they are level on points with rivals Milan, despite destroying them 5-1 last month.
The Nerazzurri have dropped points in just one Serie A match this term as they suffered a surprising 2-1 loss at home to Sassuolo. However, they responded last time out as they put Salernitana to the sword in a comprehensive 4-0 triumph. A four-goal cameo by Lautaro Martinez proved that the Argentine is one of the best forwards on the planet as he put in a world-class display.
It wasn’t the best of beginnings to their Champions League campaign, however, as Inter shared the points in a 1-1 draw away to Real Sociedad. They never got going in that one and Inzaghi himself has admitted that the heavy schedule of late is taking its toll on his squad. However, a return to San Siro here means they will be expected to get the victory.
One To Watch: Lautaro Martinez
The Argentine has been truly magnificent to open the season and has scored an incredible nine Serie A goals in just seven outings. He was pipped to the Capocannoniere last term by Napoli’s Victor Osimhen but looks good to beat him this time around. Martinez also scored the late equalizer against Sociedad and will be fresh for this one after starting on the bench at the weekend.
Benfica Preview
An early red card by Antonio Silva in their last Champions League outing was not an ideal start for Benfica. They would not be able to recover after that as they went on to lose 2-0 at home to Salzburg. Nevertheless, they will take that with a pinch of salt considering they were down to ten and were unfortunate to come away with a loss. Benfica will look to get going here.
However, it will be an incredibly tricky match for the Portuguese champions as they come up against an in-form Inter side. Benfica have responded well since their defeat against Salzburg, though, and have won back-to-back games in Liga Portugal. The Eagles defeated Portimonense 3-1 before recording a significant 1-0 victory over Porto in their last match, despite the Dragons being reduced to ten early on.
Benfica have proven to be a menacing opponent in recent European campaigns and have made the final eight in their last two consecutive attempts. However, Inter were able to knock them out in the quarter-finals last season. Roger Schmidt will be looking for revenge as they face off at San Siro once more.
One To Watch: Angel Di Maria
The Argentine veteran has been unstoppable since returning to Benfica and has scored five goals in six league appearances, also providing an assist. He will be expected to feature in what is a dangerous attack, alongside the likes of Rafa Silva, David Neres and Joao Mario. Angel Di Maria also scored the winner in the derby last time out so enters this one in excellent form, just like his Argentine opponent Martinez.
Head-to-Head
It was a thrilling tie when Inter and Benfica met in the Champions League quarter-finals last season. The Nerazzurri were in pole position after winning 2-0 in Lisbon before going 3-1 up in the return leg. However, the Eagles never gave up and scored two late goals to keep the affair interesting. Inter would secure a fairly comfortable 5-3 aggregate triumph in the end but Benfica certainly have the quality to cause them problems.
The only ever previous meetings between the two sides came in 2004 as they met in the Europa League. The first leg at Estadio da Luz ended in a 0-0 draw before Inter would go on to triumph in the second leg 4-3 at San Siro.
Inter vs Benfica Potential Lineups & Team News
Inter (3-5-2): Yann Sommer; Benjamin Pavard, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Marcus Thuram
Juan Cuadrado is available once more for the hosts after missing the past four matches due to injury but Denzel Dumfries will be expected to keep his spot at right wing-back. However, Davide Frattesi and Stefano Sensi will miss out as they continue to recover from their respective injuries. Marko Arnautovic will also be absent.
Benfica (4-2-3-1): Anatoliy Trubin; Alexander Bah, Nicolas Otamendi, Morato, Fredrik Aursnes; Orkun Kocku, Joao Neves; Angel Di Maria, Joao Mario, Rafa Silva; Petar Musa
Schmidt will not be able to call upon the services of Silva here after his red card against Salzburg. That means that Morato will likely return to the centre of defense alongside the experienced Nicolas Otamendi. Other than that, Benfica are not expected to have any other selection issues and should have an extremely strong team available.
Inter vs Benfica Prediction
Inter’s form is hard to ignore, despite their recent hiccup against Sassuolo. The Nerazzurri will be expected to earn their first three points in the Champions League this season here, especially on their own turf. Pressure will be on if they fail to do so and they are favorites for the win. However, Benfica are no pushovers and could surprise Inter.
Inter 2-1 Benfica