Benfica-Inter is a Champions League quarter-final first leg match played on Tuesday at 21:00: live TV, formations, predictions.
In a Champions League that surprisingly continues to speak Italian – it has not happened since the 2005-06 season that three Serie A clubs have made it to the quarter-finals – Inter’s destiny continues to lie with Portugal. The Nerazzurri, who knocked out Porto in the round of 16, will now face their historic antagonist in their home country, Benfica.
Simone Inzaghi, a coach who is currently going through a difficult time, deserves credit for bringing Inter back to Europe’s top eight more than a decade after the last time. In the post-Triplete era it had only happened on one occasion: we are talking about the 2010-11 season, when as defending champions the Nerazzurri failed to overcome the Schalke 04 hurdle. For the coach from Piacenza, the Champions League (and the cups in general) is perhaps one of the last chances to save a season that seems to be falling apart, especially in light of what is happening in the championship. After the last day, Lautaro Martinez and his team-mates have slipped out of the top four: caught up in extremis by Salernitana at the Arechi (1-1), for the fourth game in a row they missed the appointment with the victory and barely won a point between Spezia, Juventus, Fiorentina and Salernitana, scoring only one goal on action. No wonder, then, that Inzaghi’s bench is teetering dangerously.
Another Portuguese for the Nerazzurri
In the cups, we were saying, the situation is different. In the Champions League, after having overcome a group of iron in which there were also Bayern Munich and Barcelona, a cynical, stoic and impeccable Inter team in the non-possession phase prevailed in the double challenge against the rough Porto, a very organised team and very able to make the opponents play badly.
Joao Mario
A goal from Lukaku was decisive at the San Siro, while the return leg ended in a scoreless draw: ninety minutes of pure suffering, in which the game was almost always played in the Nerazzurri’s half of the pitch. Now there is Benfica and the level rises considerably. First of all, the red and white are dominating the Primeira Liga just ahead of Porto, who have to make up seven points against the team coached by German Roger Schmidt. The Lusitanians play a football that is pleasant to admire but can also be very practical. The German coach has many technical players at his disposal, who give the ball their all – one of these is the great former Joao Mario, who flopped at Inter – and are also exceptional at recovering the ball immediately. In Portugal they have scored an avalanche of goals (68 scored and 16 conceded), although so far the best things they have shown on the continental stage. In the round of 16 they beat Juventus twice and went undefeated against Psg, finishing just ahead of the Parisians. They had it easy in the round of 16, where they beat Belgium’s Club Brugge by a combined score of 7-1.
Benfica-Inter: latest line-up news
Schmidt has the advantage of having the entire squad available, with the exception of the disqualified Otamendi. The Argentine’s absence is not inconsiderable: in his place, Morato will play alongside Antonio Silva. For the rest, the German coach will field the standard eleven. Gonçalo Ramos in attack supported by the trio formed by Neres, Rafa Silva and Joao Mario. In the midfield there is Florentino, who is not making Enzo Fernandez (who moved to Chelsea in January) regret it, with Aursnes, and on the left Grimaldo, one of the great protagonists of Benfica’s season and also a target of the Nerazzurri.
On the other side Inzaghi will be without Skriniar and Calhanoglu, who will try to return for the return match. Compared to the match against Salernitana, Bastoni will be in defence, with Acerbi in the centre and Darmian on the right. On the left flank there will be Dimarco more than Gosens, while in attack Dzeko should prevail over Lukaku. Brozovic is back in the box.
The Prediction
Benfica come into this match after an unexpected home defeat – only their third of the season – in their clash with Porto, who beat them 2-1 at the da Luz to reopen the championship. A result that probably explains how much Schmidt’s men ‘feel’ the match with Inter, at this moment considered a priority. The Nerazzurri, who have never lost in their three previous matches against Benfica, do not give too many guarantees, however, given their recent performances. In the first leg, however, Benfica should manage to avoid defeat. Both are likely to score.
Benfica v Inter (likely line-up)
- BENFICA (4-2-3-1): Vlachodimos; Gilberto, António Silva, Morato, Grimaldo; Florentino, Aursnes; Neres, Rafa Silva, João Mário; Gonçalo Ramos.
- INTER (3-5-2): Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Dzeko.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1