Inter take on the visitors Benfica in the second leg of UEFA Champions League quarterfinal match. The first leg result: 2-0. The match will be played on Wednesday, April 19th at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (San Siro - Milan).
Inter have lost ground in Serie A this season. Yes, there have been moments of sheer bad luck, like when Salernitana scored an incredibly lucky goal in the closing stages and snatched a draw. But there have been too many slip-ups in Serie A to simply blame it on bad luck. It's no wonder that more and more people are writing about coaches who could replace Inzaghi. On the other hand, Simone has his own strong points, such as clear successes. In the Super Cup, they not only defended their title, but also demolished their arch-rivals, Milan, 3-0. And in the semifinals, after a 1-1 draw in the first away match against Juventus, the Nerazzurri will definitely not be an outsider in the pair. And perhaps the most important thing is the Champions League. Like the year before, the Italians were able to advance from the group, but this time they had to deal with Barcelona. A home win and an away draw ensured victory in the battle for 2nd place. They repeated this scenario, from success in Milan to a peaceful outcome away, in the round of 16 against Porto, only it was much more boring, 1-0 and 0-0. They clearly came to Lisbon with the goal of not conceding, but it turned out to be much more than that!
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Benfica were, perhaps, not perfect for most of the season, but they were close to it. It's no wonder that Roger Schmidt, who only came in the summer, received a new, improved contract already in March. By that time, his charges, who finished last season in 3rd place, were now unquestionably leading in the Primeira Liga. And in the Champions League, they brilliantly passed the group stage (twice beating Juventus, not losing to PSG, and taking 1st place in this quartet). Well, they didn't expect much competition in the round of 16, as the crisis-ridden Club Brugge drew them – and they passed with ease, winning both away and at home. Overall, things were going well at home with Inter as well. Benfica was clearly more active, creating deadly moments. But what's the point if they couldn't crack Handanovic? But the Italians scored from almost the first good moment, not counting Acerbi's long shot? Well, in the end, in a very controversial moment, the referee, with the help of VAR, decided that Joao Mario played with his hand in the penalty area. And Lukaku, coolly converting the penalty, made the task of the return match even more difficult. Especially since before the Europa League quarterfinal, there was a defeat to Porto, the main pursuer in the Primeira Liga, showing that the team from Lisbon is not in its best form right now.
Before this confrontation between Inter and Benfica, they met back in 2004 in the UEFA Cup. Then the Italians went further, but not without problems – 0-0 in Lisbon, 4-3 in Milan. The Nerazzurri are considered the favorites at home, but their main goal is to pragmatically avoid losing by more than 1 goal at home. Benfica is unlikely to make a full-fledged comeback, but it's worth considering betting that the Portuguese team will not lose.
Prediction for the match: Benfica not to lose.
