BENFICA have been the surprise package of this season's Champions League and will be confident of extending their glory run into the semi-finals as they prepare to host out-of-sorts Inter Milan in the last eight.
Most people expected the Portuguese giants to bow out in the group stage after they were drawn in the same section as European heavyweights Paris St-Germain and Juventus.
But the Eagles not only managed to plot a path to the knockout stages, they did it unbeaten and topped the group, setting up a kind last-16 draw against Club Brugge.
The Belgians were then battered 7-1 on aggregate, with our man Mark cashing in with two bets as they romped to a 5-1 victory in the second leg at Estadio da Luz.
Benfica's league form has been equally impressive and they sit clear at the top in Portugal, although Porto managed to cut the gap to seven points with a 2-1 win in Lisbon on Friday night.
That will offer Internazionale some encouragement but the Serie A giants are in dismal form heading into this tie, going six games without a victory.
That has piled pressure on boss Simone Inzagi but his side have been performing well in Europe, where they pipped Barcelona to second spot in their Champions League group to set up a last-16 tie with Porto.
It was far from pretty as Inter Milan progressed 1-0 on aggregate across two tense matches but if they can now see off another Portuguese giant then a place in the semi-finals awaits.
How the bookies view it
With Inter Milan in such poor form and Benfica so strong at home in Europe this season, plenty of punters will fancy the 23/20 on offer at Wiliam Hill for an Eagles win. The best price for Internazionale is 11/4 at BetUK while the draw pays 41/17. If you fancy an early flutter on who reaches the semis, Benfica are 5/6 with most firms while Inter are a best 21/20 at VBet.
Head to head
Despite being European giants, these sides have only faced off three times in history, with the Italians yet to taste defeat. Inter Milan beat Benfica 1-0 in the 1965 final and the Eagles had to wait 39 years to get their chance for revenge. Even then, they failed to grasp it, drawing 0-0 at home in the UEFA Cup before losing 4-3 in the San Siro return.
Players to watch
Goncalo Ramos announced himself to the world with a hat-trick for Portugal against Switzerland at Qatar 2022 and the kid looks to have a big future in the game. He netted twice against Brugge in the last round of the Champions League and is 15/8 with Bet365 for another goal here. Unibet also price him at 17/20 to have over 2.5 shots which looks decent.
Romelu Lukaku missed a sitter in Inter's weekend draw with Salernitana but is probably still their best bet for a goal in Lisbon. The big Belgian scored the only goal across two games against Porto and looks overpriced at 3/1 with SkyBet for anytime scorer. Unibet also have him at 10/13 just to have a shot on target which is well worth a punt.
Anything else catch the eye?
Thrills have been pretty much guaranteed with Benfica at the Estadio Da Luz in the Champions League, with a 4-1 win over Midtjylland in the qualifiers followed by a 4-3 win over Juventus in the group stage and that 5-1 battering of Brugge in the last 16. But it was cagey when Inter last faced Portuguese opposition, with their first leg against Porto ending without a goal. That makes it tough to predict if this will be an open game so I'm backing the half-time draw instead at 11/10 with Unibet.
Despite thrashing Brugge in Lisbon, it was the Belgian side who won on the corner count that night, taking it 5-2. Porto also won more corners than Benfica at the Estadio da Luz on Friday so I fancy Inter at -1 in the corner handicap here, which pays evens at Unibet.
This UEFA Champions League match between Benfica and Inter Milan will be played on Apr 11, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Benfica vs Inter Milan prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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