Round of 16 fixtures don’t get more balanced than this. Inter Milan takes on Porto on February 22, with the reverse fixture happening on March 14. Whether it will be the Italians or the Portuguese to qualify for the next round of the UEFA Champions League is anyone’s guess, but here at LV BET, we can help you place well-informed bets.
Inter and Porto have met four times in the past, with two wins for Inter, one for Porto and a draw. The most recent match-up between the two sides happened in the 2005/06 season, which ended in a 2-1 victory for the Nerazzurri.
INTER
Inter’s heroic display against Barcelona in Group C earned the club a well-deserved qualification to the Round of 16, despite its spotty season so far. Rooted in fourth place in the Serie A, with 10 points behind Napoli at the time of writing, pulling off a good result will weigh heavily on Simone Inzaghi’s shoulders. By the time that Inter host Porto, the Italian tactician will hope to have recovered the services of presently-injured Marcelo Brozovic, who is the metronome of Inter’s midfield.
The Nerazzurri’s defensive performances have been lacking this season, with seven goals conceded in six games in the UCL, apart from the 24 goals in 17 Serie A games. Inter’s lack of intensity has been noticeable, especially in key moments of a match. At this stage of the UCL, such defensive blackouts might very well be synonymous with an exit from the competition, which is why Milan Skriniar, Alessandro Bastoni and Co will have to be extra vigilant as they go into this tough pair of games.
Inter winning by half-time is priced at 13/9 (2.45), while Inter keeping a clean sheet by half-time is at 3/8 (1.38). Inter to score just one goal is valued at 3/5 (1.60).
PORTO
Porto is no team to mess with. Not only did the Portuguese side dominate Group B and win it, but it has also accumulated several skulls over the years, particularly those of AC Milan, Juventus and AS Roma, just to name a few Italian sides. Last year, Porto beat and drew Milan to oust the Italians from UCL qualification, but also went on to do the same to Juventus in the Round of 16. In the 2018/19 season, Porto eliminated AS Roma on an aggregate of 4-3 in the same UCL stage.
Spearheaded by a stellar Mehdi Taremi, Porto’s great performance in the UCL hasn’t really translated into domestic success so far. The Portuguese currently sit third in the Primeira Liga, seven points away from an equally-stellar Benfica. In any case, Porto is certainly no stranger to packing a good punch in the Round of 16, as the years have shown us. It will just be a matter of keeping a level head when visiting the boisterous San Siro.
LV BET is pricing a 2-2 draw at 31/4 (8.75), with Porto leading the scoreline after 30 minutes at 74/15 (5.95). Porto to qualify is priced at 8/7 (2.15).
LV BET
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*Odds subject to change. Odds correct at time of publishing