Inter Milan and Porto meets for the first leg of their Round of 16 match in the Champions League. Inter finished Group C in the second spot, finishing behind the German giants, Bayern Munich. Meanwhile, their opponent, Porto were able to win Group B in the group stage, edging out Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, and Bayer Leverkusen. Inter is hoping to continue their unbeaten run across all competitions. Porto on the other hand also aims the same, as they entered 2023 on a good note. This meeting happens on February 23, 2023, at 4:00 AM (GMT+8), with Inter playing as hosts.
Considering that these two teams are from different domestic leagues, they only met for four times across all competitions. Those four meetings all takes place in the Champions League, where Inter won two games, and one for Porto. This meeting will be the second time these two teams meet in the knockout stage of the contest. They first met on the same round during the 2004-05 season. Additionally, the hosts only experienced one loss across all competitions since November of last year. For the visitors, they suffered two loss from their away matches, but have won five away games.
Inter Milan
Inter comes into this game from a good momentum, as they are currently in a five-game unbeaten run. They are coming from a 3-1 win in the Serie A, when they were able to go ahead Udinese. Goals from Romelu Lukaku, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Lautaro Martinez helped Inter secure that win on their previous match. In three of their last four games across competitions, they were able to keep a clean sheet. Additionally, they are doing well at home, as they have won 11 of their 12 homes games against Porto. However, they have some issues they need to address when it comes to inconsistency. They need to deal with this issue if they want to continue their good run in their campaign.
Only Joaquin Correa is expected to be unavailable in this match, after sustaining an issue in his thigh.
Porto
Porto on the other hand has a the same path with their opponent coming into this match. They opened 2023 on a positive note, winning all but one games on the road across all competitions. They are coming from a 1-0 win in their domestic league at home, when they went against Rio Ave. It was Toni Martinez’s 44th-minute strike that gave Porto the victory on that match. Additionally, they are doing well in the Champions League, topping their group during the group stage. In the Champions League, they are in a 7-0 scoreline during their outings on the road. However, they might snap their current run, due to the lengthy injure list they are facing right now.
It seems like Porto is currently facing an injury crisis right now. Evanilason, Fabio Cardodo, Gabriel Veron, and Francisco Meixedo are all expected to miss out this match. Mateus Uribe, and Galeno on the other hand still needs to be assessed, but are likely to miss as well.
Prediction:
Draw
Odds: 0.94
Ready to play?
You may place your bets for the Champions League match between Inter Milan and Porto at Nova88, Asia’s largest and most trusted Online Casino Malaysia. Join and play now!
