They might be 15 points behind leaders Napoli in their domestic championship but Inter Milan will begin their latest attempt to progress beyond the UEFA Champions League (UCL) last 16 for the first time since 2010/11 in good form, after a five-match unbeaten run in all competitions (W4, D1). This is their first meeting with Porto since they played four times in 2005 (Inter: W2, D1, L1) including a 4-2 aggregate win for the Italians at this stage in the 2004/05 season.
Losing just one of their last 12 competitive home games (W11) also suggests the Italians could take charge of the tie at the San Siro, where the last seven UCL matches they’ve hosted were won by the side scoring first (Inter: W4, L3). Simone Inzaghi’s side can have little excuse for starting slowly as he was able to rotate his squad for Saturday’s 3-1 win over Udinese.
Porto are up against it then, but few teams in Europe are in better form as they’ve won their last ten competitive matches and are unbeaten since late October (W19, D3), slugging it out with Benfica and Braga at the top of Portugal’s Primeira Liga. Four of those wins enabled them to become the only side this term to top their UCL group despite losing twice!
Two of those successes were away from home ‘to nil’, while holding Milan to a 1-1 draw here last term and Juventus needing extra-time to beat them in Turin in 2020/21 suggests they shouldn’t fear another trip to Italy. Six clean sheets across their last seven competitive away games (W6, D1) will also offer encouragement as they look to make the quarter-finals for the third time in five seasons.
Players to watch: Romelu Lukaku’s penalty against Udinese for Inter was his second goal of three this term to arrive before the 25th minute, while Pepê has netted in two of Porto’s last four games and all five of his competitive strikes this term arrived after the 40th minute.
Hot streak: None of Inter’s last 16 UCL games witnessed scoring before the 15th minute (W8, D3, L5).
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