Henry Roldán
The Champions League round of 16 first leg games continue this week, and this Wednesday two regular Champions League participants face each other in a must-see match between Inter vs Porto, two rivals that will meet for the first time since 2005.
The Italian team finished second in Group C ahead of Barcelona, while the Portuguese team dominated a tough Group B by beating Atlético Madrid and Bayern Leverkusen. Without further ado, at JefeBet we bring you the best preview of the stellar match between Inter vs Porto.
Predictions, Odds, and Betting Preview for the Inter vs Porto Champions League Round of 16 First Leg Game on February 22, 2023.
- Where: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza – Milan, Italy.
- When: Wednesday, February 22, 2023, 3:00 PM E.T.
- Moneyline: Inter (-127) / Tie (+265) / Porto (+410).
- Asian Handicap: Inter (-0.75, -106) / Porto (+0.75, -117).
- Over/Under (2.5): Over (+105) / Under (-130)
- Both teams score: Yes (-105) / No (-120).
All odds shown are courtesy of Unibet.
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Betting on Inter
A very evenly matched and hard-fought game awaits Inter in front of their fans next Wednesday, when they host the Portuguese champions. The good news for the Nerazzurri is that they are going through a good soccer moment and this campaign in the Champions League they had the luxury of eliminating Barcelona in the group stage.
Simone Inzaghi’s team is second in Serie A behind Napoli and has not lost in the Italian league for four games, including its latest 3-1 win over Udinese.
For this match they will be without Argentine Joaquín Correa, but during the weekend they recovered several interesting players, including Croatian Marcelo Brozovic.
Another welcome piece of news for Inter fans is that they have been unbeatable at home this season. While in the group stage they only lost to Bayern Munich, in Serie A they are the second-best club at home with 30 points from 12 games played and have only conceded six goals.
Probable lineup (3-5-2): André Onana, Milan Skriniar, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni, Matteo Darmian, Nicoló Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Marcelo Brozovic, Federico Dimarco, Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martínez.
Betting on Porto
If Inter’s current moment is good, Porto’s is even better, with a positive streak of six consecutive victories and 11 matches without defeat in the Primeira Liga.
This performance has positioned them only three points behind leaders Benfica, and now they must reaffirm why they qualified first in their group against very complicated rivals such as Brugge, Bayern Leverkusen and Atlético Madrid.
Despite losing their first two matches in the group stage against Atlético and Brugge, Sérgio Conceição’s team closed the tournament on a high note after winning their last four matches, scoring 11 goals and conceding just one.
This defensive consistency is nothing new for Porto, as in the local championship they share the leadership of that statistic with Benfica after conceding only 12 goals in 21 matches, in addition to being second in goals scored with 48. In fact, in their string of unbeaten matches, the Dragons have kept six clean sheets and in 11 away games are the third-best team with 24 points and only seven goals conceded.
For this match they will have some important absentees, such as their third-best scorer, Brazilian Evanilson, and midfielder Otavio. Also in doubt are defender Fabio Cardoso, midfielder Mateus Uribe and strikers Gabriel Verón and Galeno.
Possible lineup (4-4-2): Diogo Costa; João Mário Lopes, Pepe, Marcano, Zaidú Sanusi; André Franco, Pepê, Marko Grujić, Eustaquio; Mehdi Taremi, Toni Martínez.
JefeBet Prediction
Next Wednesday we should see one of the best defensive matches of this Champions League phase in the duel between Inter and Porto. Both teams are among the lowest scorers in their respective leagues, and during the group stage both clubs kept three clean sheets.
The home side have conceded just six goals at home in Serie A and Porto have conceded just seven away goals. These are more than solid figures to exemplify what we will see in Italy. And while three of the last five meetings between these teams have ended with at least three goals, the last one was in 2006, so much has changed since then.
Prediction: Under (INT 1 – POR 1).
