Porto-Inter is a Champions League round of 16 return match played on Tuesday at 21:00: live TV, line-ups, predictions.
The trip to Porto is traditionally a tough one. The Italian teams – from Juventus to AC Milan via Lazio and Roma – who have faced the Dragões in European competitions in recent seasons, be it the group stage or the knockout phase, and have come away with broken bones.
Inter did not want to be the umpteenth victim of Sergio Conceiçao’s side – a coach who knows the Italian league well, having played with Lazio, Parma and even Inter themselves – and in the first leg they ensured they did not have to seek qualification at the Estadio do Dragao, securing a small but significant lead (1-0) thanks to Romelu Lukaku’s goal four minutes from the end, with the visitors numerically outnumbered after Otavio’s sending-off. In the San Siro match the Nerazzurri’s superiority was evident but not clear-cut, and the Portuguese confirmed themselves as the organised and in some ways scrappy team we had known in previous seasons, although more than one player changed. Porto also had their chances and it was to Onana’s credit that the Nerazzurri managed to keep their goal inviolate, so they could play on two out of three results – they would qualify for the quarter-finals with any draw – in Portugal. It has been since 2011 – the season following the mythological Triplete – that Inter have not finished in the top eight in Europe.
Porto unbeaten at home against the Italians since 2017
A one-goal lead does not allow Inter to rest too much on their laurels: that is why Simone Inzaghi demands that his men remain on the ball, especially after the ugly slip-up in La Spezia (2-1) which confirmed a certain allergy with the ‘little ones’.
Conceiçao
In Liguria, luck turned its back on the Nerazzurri, who also missed a penalty with Lautaro Martinez. But it is a fact that Inter squandered precious points (Empoli, Sampdoria, Bologna, Spezia) against opponents within reach. Last Friday’s defeat meanwhile risks complicating their plans to qualify for the next Champions League: to finish the championship outside the top four would be a real failure. And Porto? The Dragons are second in the Primeira Liga standings, with eight points to make up on Benfica, who now seem unreachable. Conceiçao’s team won their last two matches against Chaves and Estoril, but immediately afterwards they fell in front of their own public against Gil Vicente. Three matches in which the non-possession phase of the ball strangely left something to be desired: the defence conceded a total of five goals. At home they have not lost to an Italian team since 2017, but it is also true that on six occasions out of seven Porto have never passed the round after losing the first leg in a European competition.
Porto-Inter: the latest line-up news
A heavy absence for Conceiçao will be that of midfielder Otavio, who has been disqualified following his sending-off at the San Siro. Also absent will be Meixedo and Joao Mario, both struggling with knee problems. Pepê (not the experienced central defender) will be adapted on the right-hand side of the defence, while in the midfield the Lusitanian coach will confirm Uribe and Grujic. The two forwards will be Taremi and Evanilson, the latter preferred to Martinez.
Inzaghi with the doubt linked to Skriniar: the Slovakian defender might not make it because of the lumbago that is tormenting him. On the alert Darmian, who would otherwise play on the right flank in place of Dumfries. On the left, Dimarco is the only option after Gosens’ injury. In the middle, together with Barella, the coach from Piacenza will deploy Calhanoglu and Mkhitaryan, in front Lautaro Martinez and Lukaku.
The prediction
The defeat in La Spezia certified Inter’s away problems: in 2023 away from the San Siro the Nerazzurri have only beaten Cremonese. In a hot and hostile environment like the one in Porto, it will not be easy to avoid defeat, but in Europe so far Inzaghi’s team has surprised everyone every time it has ended up with its back to the wall. It will be another balanced match, in which this time the Lusitanians will take the initiative. A draw cannot be ruled out, with both teams scoring on at least one occasion.
Port v Inter (Porto v Inter) matchday squad
- PORTO (4-4-2): Diogo Costa; Pepê, Pepe, Marcano, Zaidu; Eustáquio, Uribe, Grujić, Galeno; Taremi, Evanilson.
- INTER (3-5-2): Onana; Škriniar, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Çalhanoğlu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Lautaro Martínez, Lukaku.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
