UCL: Inter Milan VS Benfica - Preview & Odds

After a disappointing draw against the Spanish club Real Sociedad, Inter Milan are desperately seeking a victory when they host Benfica tonight at San Siro. Inter Milan stand 2nd in Group D, two points behind the table topper RB Leipzig. Meanwhile, Benfica suffered a heavy defeat in their UCL opener against RB Leipzig. They lost the first match by a 3-0 margin. As a result, Benfica can't afford to lose against the Italian giant tonight. Without their fans, Benfica will have a very difficult task beating Inter Milan. The UEFA has imposed a suspension upon Benfica's fans at San Siro due to last season's violence at this stadium. Last year, Benfica supporters threw lit flares into a crowd of Nerazzurri supporters. Therefore, The UEFA have banned their supporters At San Siro this season.

Stats&Facts

• Inter Milan faced off against Benfica last season in the quarter-final of this competition. Inter Milan, of course, advanced to the next round as they beat Benfica on a 5-3 aggregate. Inter Milan won the first leg away from home by a 2-0 margin, while the second leg ended in a 3-3 tie.
• It will be the 6th meeting between Inter Milan and Benfica in all competitions. The Portuguese side has never defeated Inter Milan in those games. They lost in three matches and tied the remaining two.
• The last two meetings between the two clubs at San Siro saw very high-scoring games. Their previous two meetings witnessed a total of 13 goals at San Siro.
• The Italian side have a strong record at San Siro in the UEFA Champions League. They have won four of their last five home games in this competition.
• Benfica are also an emerging side in European competitions. They are unbeaten in their previous ten matches in European football.

Team News

Argentine World Cup winner Lautaro Martinez has been flying for Inter Milan. He was not in the starting XI for Inter's last game at Serie A. Inter Milan was in a 0-0 tie against Salernitana until 62 minutes. Manager Simione Inzagi deployed Lautaro Martinez at that time, and the World Cup winner stole the show. He scored four goals alone in this match to secure a dominating victory against Salernitana. However, Lautaro Martinez will lead Inter's attack tonight against Benfica. But the home team will miss the service of Davide Frattesi, Marko Arnautovic, Stefano Sensi, and Juan Cuadrado as they all are injured. Besides, Benfica will miss Antonio Silva due to a suspension. The rest of the players are fully fit to face Inter Milan. The Possible Lineup for Inter Milan: Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram The Possible Lineup for Benfica: Trubin; Bah, Otamendi, Morato, Aursnes; Kokcu, Neves; Di Maria, Neres, Silva; Musa

Prediction: Inter 2-0 Benfica

Inter Milan are the obvious favorites against Benfica because they are at home. Lautaro Martinez is in his prime form for Inter, while Marcus Thuram is showing his potential for the Nerazzuri. On the flip, Benfica will miss their fans at San Siro. Their main concern will be to keep a clean sheet against the home side.

Betfair Odds

Inter Milan: 1.69 Draw: 4.14 Benfica: 4.99 Betfair Odds are available on BFB247. Check out our BFB247 Review to get more info.