Champions League: Porto Prepare to Pull Off Another Italian Job

Inter Milan vs Porto

FC Porto are back in the Champions League round of 16. Under the guidance of coach Sergio Conceicao, the Dragons have made it to the quarter-finals twice in the last six years, both times by beating Italian opposition.

And Porto are preparing to pull off yet another Italian job this year as they take on Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan side at the San Siro.

Inzaghi and Conceicao were team-mates at Lazio during the late-90s, and Conceicao also played for Inter in the early 2000s.

But there will be no love lost between the two as Inzaghi looks to lead Inter to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in over a decade.

Talking Points

Inter in fine form in 2023

Inter Milan’s hopes of catching Napoli for the Scudetto are all but over as they remain 15 points back with 15 games to play. So the Nerazzurri will now set their sights on winning the Champions League for the fourth time in their history.

Inter emerged from a tough group that included Bayern Munich and Barcelona to reach the round of 16 for the second straight season. Despite losing both games against Bayern, they got four points from Barca to finish runners-up.

And they will head into their round of 16 first leg against Porto off a 3-1 win at home against Udinese. Romelu Lukaku scored from the penalty spot, his first goal for Inter since late October. Although, he still didn’t look quite at his best as that penalty was his only shot of the game.

Meanwhile, Lautaro Martinez came on for Lukaku and scored the clinching goal one minute from time. The Argentine has been in excellent form since returning from the World Cup; he has scored 8 goals in 11 matches in 2023.

Inter have quite a stellar record since returning from the World Cup break. They have won 8 of their 11 games in 2023, with two draws and just one loss.

Simone Inzaghi has a settled side at the moment, with Joaquin Correa their only injury absentee. Goalkeeper Andre Onana, defender Milan Skriniar, and midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu were all rested against Udinese, but they are all expected to return to the starting lineup in midweek.

In-form Porto have injury problems

As good as Inter’s recent form has been, Porto’s has been even better. The Portuguese champions have won 10 games in a row in all competitions and have gone unbeaten in their last 22 matches (19 wins, 3 draws).

Coach Sergio Conceicao continues to do an outstanding job as he’s led the team to the Champions League knockout rounds for the fourth time in his six seasons in charge; they have advanced to the quarter-finals on two occasions, in 2019 and 2021.

However, Conceicao will have work to do as an injury crisis has hit his club at the wrong time. Key players such as forward Evanilson and key playmaker Otavio are injury doubts. Winger Wanderson Galeno and midfielder Mateus Uribe are certainly out for the first leg, but defender Wendell will be available after making his return on the weekend.

Luckily, main man Mehdi Taremi is fit and ready to make more Champions League 2023 highlights against Inter. The 30-year-old Iranian striker is having another excellent season with 11 goals and 5 assists in the league, and 5 goals and 2 assists in the Champions League.

With the likes of Evanilson, Otavio and Galeno potentially out, Taremi Porto may opt to play a more conservative style in the away leg in Milan.

History

Inter and Porto have met on four previous occasions, all of which came in the year 2005. They faced off in the 2004-05 Champions League round of 16, with Inter emerging victorious 4-2 on aggregate.

They then crossed paths once again in the 2005-06 group stage. The home side won both fixtures; Porto prevailed 2-0 at the Estadio do Dragao, while Inter won 2-1 in Milan.

Inter have not had a convincing home record in the Champions League in recent years, though. They have won just 5 of their last 15 games at the San Siro, with 5 draws and 5 losses.

As for Porto, they have had a terrific recent record against Italian clubs. They knocked out Roma in 2018-19 and Juventus in 2020-21, both after extra-time, in the round of 16. Porto also cross paths with eventual Serie A champions AC Milan in the group stage last season and went undefeated in two games; they won 1-0 at home and drew 1-1 at the San Siro.

Betting Tip 

The SBOTOP Champions League 2023 betting odds are leaning heavily toward Inter, who are installed as 1.78 favourites to win the first leg at home. Porto are priced at 3.80, while a draw is 3.60.

Even with their injury problems in attack, Porto will be no pushovers. Sergio Conceicao is a canny coach who will have his side well-drilled for this tough away trip at San Siro. With some key attacking pieces potentially absent, it won’t be surprising to see Porto playing a more conservative counter-attacking approach in the first leg.

That will make them unlikely to escape with a win, but with their defensive discipline, a draw is a distinct possibility.

 

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