Inter Milan will look to put their Serie A struggles behind them with a semi-finals berth in the Champions League. To get through to the final four, the Nerazzuri need to successfully defend a 2-0 lead at home against Benfica.
This should be an open affair as Benfica have nothing to lose and this could lead to a real goal-fest. Bookmaker William Hill is offering odds at 1.85 for over 2.5 goals and at 3.25 for over 2.5 goals.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: April 18th, 11:00 A.M. (EST)
Inter has previously played in the Champions League semi-finals on only two occasions and it would be very special for the club to finish among the top four in the competition.
Simone Inzaghi’s men are closing out the season in bizarre form, looking superb in Europe but struggling badly in Serie A. They were beaten by Monza over the weekend, meaning the team has now suffered three straight home league defeats without scoring for the first time ever.
If it wasn’t for the European form, we likely would already be seeing a new man in charge of Inter. Inzaghi did a great job by steering the team to the Scudetto win in 2021, but it’s been a roller coaster ride for Inter ever since then and you wouldn’t expect a true top club to be so inconsistent.
Considering Inter’s up-and-down form under Inzaghi, this tie could be far from finished. The away goals don’t count anymore in the Champions League, which makes Benfica’s task of battling back from a two-goal deficit a realistic achievement.
The Portuguese champions have actually performed very well under Roger Schmidt this season and defeats have been very rare for the side. Benfica had dropped just two games all season before a 2-1 defeat against Porto at the start of the month triggered a three-game losing streak.
Schmidt will hope to see veteran Joao Mario inspire a comeback Wednesday. The former Inter man has been playing the best football of his career this season, even becoming the first Benfica player in Champions League history with a five-game goal streak. He has notched 23 goals in total across 44 appearances, adding 12 assists.
To stay alive in the Champions League, Benfica has to produce a historic result as they have never previously beaten Inter. There have been four clashes and last week’s 2-0 triumph in Lisbon marked Inter’s third win in the match-up.
