The Inter of Lautaro Martínez and Joaquín Correa receive Benfica, which will not have Nicolás Otamendi due to accumulation of cards, for the rematch of the quarter-finals of the Champions League after the 2-0 that Milan obtained away in Portugal. The match kicks off at 4:00 pm (Argentina time) and is televised by Fox Sports and Star+. Whoever gets through this stage will face Milan, so there could be a classic city in the semi-final.
Winning the Champions League seems to be the only way for coach Simone Inzaghi to earn the credit for continuing to coach Inter.
The Nerazzurri have experienced triumphal moments this season, such as winning the Italian Super Cup and also reaching the semi-finals of the Italian Cup. They could even break through to the top four in the Champions League.
But the team falters in Serie A, leaving Inzaghi with a noose around his neck. Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Monza was Inter’s eleventh defeat in 30 games, leaving the team in fifth position, two points behind fourth-placed Milan.
“It doesn’t seem strange to me,” Inzaghi said of his situation on Tuesday. “I’m used to it. It’s better for me to be criticized than for my players. These criticisms motivate us to work harder.”
“We haven’t been good enough in the league. We haven’t lived up to expectations. We’ve had our problems like any other team, but we still have time. Now we need to focus on giving our fans a great night and seeing us overcome the quarters would be a great achievement”.
Inter have won just one of their last eight meetings in all competitions, and that victory was the one they won against Benfica last week.
“We know what we have achieved in the cups and that the position we occupy in the table is not what we want, but now our only goal is Benfica.” Inzaghi said. “We are aware that we have an advantage, but we have to give our all against a team that hasn’t achieved good results lately, but is really dangerous.”
Benfica are also going through a difficult moment. The two-time European champions suffered three consecutive defeats, which has not happened since the 2018-19 season.
The losing streak took its toll on what could have been a great season for the Portuguese side, who have lost just once in all competitions since April. The first defeat in this losing streak was at home, in the league against arch-rivals Porto, followed by defeat against Inter Milan, and on Saturday they were defeated at home, 1-0, by Chaves, narrowing his lead to four points. advantage in the championship.
For Wednesday’s match in Italy, Roger Schmidt – Benfica’s technical director – will have Argentine central defender Nicolás Otamendi at his disposal, who was suspended in the first leg.
Probable formations
Inter in Milan: Andre Onana; Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nicoló Barella, Hakan Çalhanolu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko. DT: Simone Inzaghi.
Benfica: Odyssey Vlachodimos; Alexander Bah, Antonio Silva, Gilberto, Alejandro Grimaldo; Chiquinho, Fiorentino Luis; João Mário, Fredrik Aursnes, Rafa Silva; and Goncalo Ramos. DT: Roger Schmidt.
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.