Inter Milan vs Benfica

Giuseppe Meazza is the venue as Inter Milan and Benfica go head-to-head in a repeat of last season’s Champions League quarter-finals tie.

One shot on target was enough for Inter Milan to avoid defeat on their opening-day trip to Real Sociedad (1-1). Back to Giuseppe Meazza, ‘I Nerazzurri’ must be confident about getting off the mark in the 2023/24 Champions League edition after winning five of their last six home outings in Europe’s premier competition ‘to nil’ (D1). Yet, Simone Inzaghi’s men shared the spoils with Benfica at home in the return leg of their quarter-final tie last season (3-3) but still progressed into the semi-finals as 5-3 aggregate winners. Those two unbeaten games form part of Inter’s four-match undefeated H2H record against the Portuguese powerhouse in European football (W2, D2). However, their patchy four-game form across all competitions (W2, D1, L1) suggests they cannot take anything for granted.

On the other hand, Benfica must make amends for a dismal 2-0 home loss to RB Salzburg in their curtain-raising Group D fixture to bolster their chances of reaching the Champions League knockout stages for the third season on the trot. Roger Schimdt’s men come into proceedings in high spirits after toppling arch-rivals Porto 1-0 at the weekend, courtesy of Angel Di Maria’s second-half winner. That victory bookended Benfica’s impressive six-game winning streak in the Primeira Liga, yet things could change dramatically here. The ‘Eagles’ lament a disappointing all-time European record against Italian adversaries (W11, D6, L18), but there’s a silver lining. They’ve gone unbeaten on their last ten Champions League travels (W6, D4) despite conceding the opening goal on four occasions.