Porto – Inter

The Portuguese champion will have a home advantage over their rivals

For their first encounter in Milan, bookmakers had Simone Inzaghi's side as the favourites. In that match, the Portuguese visitors not only proved their competitiveness but also created more chances than their rivals. On one occasion, Inter's goalkeeper made two saves following shots that were almost from the goalkeeper's area. In the 78th minute, Porto were reduced due to a rude foul on Otavio, who had already been yellow-carded at the time. Apparently, it was Onana's heroic saves and the opportunity to end the match on the powerplay that allowed Inter to win. Romelu Lukaku scored the only goal of the match in the 86th minute. Before the return leg, bookmakers had equal odds on the opponents. Inter are understandably the favourites to reach the quarterfinals at 1.29. Porto are currently focused on the Champions League as much as possible. In the championship, the team is in second place, significantly behind Benfica. It is unlikely that the reigning champion, even if they play relatively poorly in the Primera Liga, will fall outside the Champions League zone. With that in mind, Conceição's charges allowed themselves to lose to the humble Gil Vicente at their own arena after losing an away trip to Milan. Porto won the next two rounds, but played against Chaviche and Estoril not at maximum speed. On home soil, the Portuguese champion has beaten Bayer and Atletico Madrid this European season, highlighting their danger in the home arena. Assuming, of course, a serious attitude. The home-field factor is something to keep an eye on in relation to Inter. The Milan club have played three games away from home in the last month and a half. On all three occasions, the opponents have been clubs that are far from the top flight in Italy. Nevertheless, Inzaghi's side lost to Bologna and La Spezia and they were held to a 0-0 draw with relegation-threatened Sampdoria. It is also interesting that over the last 20 years, there have been five games in the history of the rivalry between Inter Milan and Porto in which the away clubs have not won a single game. In the return leg between roughly equal opponents, Conceição's side should be favoured.