Inter Milan vs Porto

Inter Milan’s pursuit of their first Champions League quarter-final berth since 2010/11 continues at Giuseppe Meazza as they entertain Porto in the first leg of their competitive-looking round-of-16 tie.

Inter Milan defied the odds in the group stages to secure a runner-up finish to Bayern Munich in a so-called ‘group of death,’ leaving runaway La Liga leaders Barcelona in their wake. Inter’s European journey last season ended at this stage, yet Simone Inzaghi’s men are hoping to turn their fortunes around after going unbeaten in five competitive matches in the build-up to this clash (W4, D1). Adding to their confidence, ‘I Nerazzurri’ have racked up a mind-blowing eight wins in their nine previous home encounters against Portuguese visitors in major European competitions (D1). On top of their stellar home record against Primeira Liga clubs, last season’s Serie A runners-up have won back-to-back Champions League home games ‘to nil’ and could make it three in a row for the first time since 2010.

Unfortunately for Inter, visiting Porto are not messing around these days, having put together ten consecutive wins in all competitions in the lead-up to this trip, including a narrow 1-0 home triumph over Rio Ave at the weekend. By extension, the ‘Eagles’ are unbeaten since October (W19, D3), while they finished top of their Champions League group ahead of non-other than Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen. Despite starting their group journey with a pair of losses, Porto won four straight matches down the final stretch of the autumn campaign and could make it five Champions League triumphs on the trot for only the second time in the club’s history. Moreover, Sergio Conceicao’s rock-solid backline has kept a clean sheet in seven of their last eight outings, strengthening Porto’s bid to avoid defeat at Meazza after two failed attempts.

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