He Inter Milan will defend this Wednesday at San Siro the profit of two goals obtained in Lisbon against a Benfica at a low time he needed three goals to seal the victory and access the semifinals of the Champions League.
The ‘Nerazzurri’ team, unbeaten against Benfica, is 90 minutes away from re-entering the best four, a feat they have not achieved since the historic 2010, where, under the command of Lusor Jose Mourinho, they achieved the mythical triplet becoming, in addition, the last Italian team to lift the ‘orejona’.
13 years have passed since that moment and the ‘Nerazzurri’ fans want their team to lift the club to the top again, so they will be one of the team, a boiling cauldron that will weather the bad times in Serie A in which is the whole Italian simone inzaghi Fifth of March, from the Champions League positions.
And it is that Inter did not win Italy since last March 5, with four defeats and one draw in the last league games. The only cause for joy in this disastrous month was on Portuguese soil, with a draw against Porto confirming their place in the quarterfinals and victory in the first leg of this tie.
A Inter that, yes, showed all the necessary packaging and solvency to be in the quarterfinals and fight the arguments for the semifinals that would guarantee an Italian team in the finals of Istanbul. A team that as soon as it hears the hymn of the leading continental competition becomes a perfectly lubricated gear excited by a radical change of trend in the domestic championship that at the moment has not happened.
Charts: Sofascore
The Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana He stands as one of the most important players of the match considering the great state of form he is going through under the sticks, fully established as a starter. The line of three central defenders that will make up the Italians Darmian, Bastoni and Acerbi will have to be as sure as they were in the first leg to maintain the stability that this ‘Champions’ team boasts.
Although in the first leg the Bosnian Edin Dzeko He started at the top, Inzaghi could choose the Belgian Romelu Lukaku to form a duo in Argentina Lautaro Martinez, indisputable. The only other doubt for the coach is in the midfield, as he can count on both the Croatian Marcelo Brozovic and the Turkish Hakan Calhanoglu, recently recovered from his injury.
Like his opponent on Wednesday, the Benfica He appeared for the second leg far from his best moment and sank into a complete crisis of confidence that was a victory San Siro easily solved.
The Portuguese team, which has the domestic league in its hands and is considered its sensation Championsis coming off a streak of three consecutive losses, the last in the championship against a chaves (0-1) who in the first round hit 5-0.
In your future at Europe at stake, Portuguese fans fear their own club more than Inter Milan, who they perceive as a more than affordable rival for Benfica given their history in A series and his performance in the round of 16 against Porto.
During the visit to Milan, the coach roger schmidt will have his captain again, the Argentine center-back Nicholas Otamendiwho missed the first leg due to suspension and will now have a mission to prevent his compatriot Lautaro from getting any closer to the ‘incarnated’ goal.
The biggest unknown in the starting eleven is David Neres, that after the game in Lisbon he left the field angry at the result and his status as a substitute under Schmidt, who was criticized in Portugal for being slow to bring on the Brazilian.
The ‘eagles’ will once again trust their players who a few days ago seemed infallible, the goalscorer Goncalo Ramos and the midfielder joao mariothat this Wednesday will return to a house where he has not been happy and where an atmosphere of hostility awaits him that may give him further motivation.
Possible lineups:
inter: Onana, Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dimarco, Mkhitaryan, Brozovic or Çalhanoglu, Barella, Dumfries; Lukaku and Lautaro
The
TheBenfica: Vlachodimos; Gilberto, Antonio Silva, Otamendi, Grimaldo; Florentino, Chiquinho; Aursnes, Rafa Silva, João Mario; and Goncalo Ramos
The
Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain) / VAR: Juan Martínez Munuera (Spain)
stadium: San Siro
Time: 9:00 pm (Movistar Champions League)
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
