Day 2 of Champions League action sees more first leg, round of 16 matches take place.
Inter Milan v Porto
Having finished behind Bayern Munich in the Group Stage and knocking Barcelona into the Europa League, Inter Milan has already achieved an impressive feat. However, their two losses to the Bavarian giants highlights the considerable distance that Inter Milan must cover to compete with the top European clubs. Despite this, Inter Milan has won four of their last six home Champions League games, with their only losses coming from Liverpool and Bayern Munich, as previously mentioned.
Since their unexpected loss to Empoli, Inter Milan has remained unbeaten in five matches across all competitions, winning four of them. Although the loss to Empoli occurred at the San Siro, Inter Milan has won five out of the seven games played there since the return from the World Cup, including three consecutive victories after the Empoli defeat.
Simone Inzaghi will have a predominantly healthy and complete squad to choose from for Wednesday’s match.
Porto has been undefeated in 22 games across all competitions since their loss to their rivals, Benfica. Since the World Cup break, they have won 14 out of 16 games, including five consecutive away victories. Before their 1-2 win at Sporting Lisbon, Porto had also kept clean sheets in their previous four wins.
However, Porto faces the possibility of several absent players ahead of the First Leg tie, which could pose a challenge for the team.
Recently, Inter Milan has improved their performance and demonstrated a strong defensive game, but their inconsistency may be concerning when supporting them as favoured contenders. Despite this, Inter Milan has been victorious in four out of their last six home games in the Champions League, with a notable 1-0 win over Barcelona. Thus, I believe they will do enough to secure the First Leg lead.
In their two previous home games against Porto, Inter Milan has emerged victorious and I predict that Simone Inzaghi’s squad will be able to secure a hat-trick of wins against them.
Match Result Prediction
Inter Milan to win.
Score Prediction
Inter Milan 2 – 0 Porto
Leipzig v Manchester City
Leipzig is currently contending for a top four finish in the Bundesliga this season, and their recent 0-3 victory against Wolfsburg put an end to a series of games without a win or a goal. Prior to the win, Leipzig had been unbeaten in 11 home matches across all competitions, having won 10 of those games, after their unexpected 1-4 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk. However, their unbeaten streak at home came to an end during their previous match against Union Berlin.
While Konrad Leimer and Christopher Nkunku are available for selection, the team will be without their first-choice goalkeeper and Dani Olmo for the upcoming match.
Manchester City has suffered only one defeat in their last seven games across all competitions. However, they continue to demonstrate a degree of vulnerability when playing away from the Etihad Stadium. Although their win against Arsenal seemed to have put an end to their away day struggles, Manchester City was held to a 1-1 draw by Nottingham Forest last Saturday, and they have only secured one win in their last five away matches, losing three times.
John Stones will be unavailable, and the manager is expected to make a few changes to the starting lineup. Riyad Mahrez did not participate on Saturday and may be seeking a recall to the team.
Manchester City is expected to dominate possession and apply pressure on the Leipzig defenders. Despite their impressive track record in recent years, Leipzig has only made one significant impact in the Champions League, and they may struggle once more.
Manchester City has not suffered a defeat in the Last 16 since their upset loss to Monaco in 2017. Moreover, they have won all five away Last 16 legs since then. I anticipate that this match will be one of the more high-scoring games of the round, and I predict Manchester City will emerge victorious as they rebound from their game at the City Ground.
Match Result Prediction
Manchester City to win.
Score Prediction
Leipzig 0 – 2 Manchester City
