UEFA Champions League action continues on Wednesday, with another set of round of 16 fixtures taking place on February 22. Manchester City will be in action in one game while Italian giants Inter Milan host Porto in the match of focus, with the Nerazzurri looking to secure a first-leg advantage ahead of the reverse tie in mid-March.
The pressure is on Inter to follow in the footsteps of bitter rivals AC Milan, who won their first-leg tie in the round of 16, beating Tottenham 1-0 at home. Given what Inzhagi's men had to achieve in order to make the knockout stage, the Italian giants should not be short on confidence heading into this clash.
Lautaro Martinez and Co. were grouped with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, and as a result, many expected the 2010 Champions League winners to crash out at the first hurdle. However, Inter managed to finish second in the table, sending the Catalan giants to the UEFA Europa League instead after beating the Blaugrana 1-0 at home and drawing 3-3 at Camp Nou.
However, domestically, things have not been going well for the Milan giants. While the club have only suffered six defeats in Serie A this season, that is dwarfed by Napoli's numbers, with I Partenopei boasting 62 points so far this term, 15 more than Inter, after losing only once all campaign.
Nonetheless, Inzaghi's men are still second in the table and boast a nearly impeccable home run, with the 19-time Scudetto winners triumphing 12 times in their last 13 outings at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. However, their showdown with Porto will not be a walk in the park.
The Portuguese giants aren't strangers to overcoming the odds. The Dragons were drawn against Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, and Club Brugge in the group stage, with Conceicao's men overcoming their atrocious start to the campaign to win the group.
Porto suffered back-to-back defeats in their first two games, going 2-1 down at Atletico before being thrashed 4-0 by Club Brugge. However, the Primeira Liga heavyweights went on to win all of their next four fixtures, including revenge victories over Los Rojiblancos and Blauw-Zwart, to finish with 12 points.
In the Portuguese top flight, Porto have won all but one of their last 10 matches and are unbeaten in their last 11 outings. Additionally, the club have suffered only two defeats all season but the defending champions are trailing bitter rivals Benfica in the title race, with the Dragons sitting two points behind the Eagles.
Additionally, Mahdi Taremi and Co. are unbeaten on the road since their opening-day defeat in the UEFA Champions League at the Metropolitano Stadium. However, this run will be tested at Inter's iconic home ground.
Team news
Inter: Joaquin Correa is unavailable due to a thigh injury, but elsewhere, Inzaghi has everyone else available and at his disposal. Lautaro Martinez will return to the lineup but the interesting question is whether the Italian giants will partner the Argentine ace with Edin Dzeko or Romelu Lukaku.
Porto: Unlike the hosts, the visitors have a number of players out such as Evanilson, Fabio Cardoso, Gabriel Veron, and Francisco Meixedo. Additionally, Mateus Uribe and Galeno could miss this tie and there are doubts over Toni Martinez after picking up a knock over the weekend.
Key stats
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Porto are on a 22-game unbeaten run.
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Additionally, the Portuguese giants are on a four-game winning streak in the UEFA Champions League.
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This will be the first clash between these two clubs since 2005, which was in the UEFA Champions League group stage. Inter won that tie at home.
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Additionally, the Nerazzurri boast a superior head-to-head record, winning two out of their four previous encounters (D1, L1).
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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