The second round of group games in the 2023/24 Champions League take place this week and on the 3rd of October, we have a meeting between Inter Milan and Benfica.
The match will be played at the San Siro and as things stand in Group D, Inter Milan are second on 1 point while Benfica are bottom of the group and yet to get off the mark.
Unmistakable flair and determination 🪄#ForzaInter #SalernitanaInter pic.twitter.com/GNXakC0EdV— Inter (@Inter_en) October 1, 2023
Unmistakable flair and determination 🪄#ForzaInter #SalernitanaInter pic.twitter.com/GNXakC0EdV
Inter Milan come into the match on the back of a 4-0 win at Salernitana in Serie A on Saturday night.
Despite the final score, it was not always comfortable for Inter Milan and it took until the introduction of Lautaro Martinez in the second half for them to take control.
The Argentine opened the scoring in the 62nd minute and scored 3 further goals in the final 13 minutes of the game.
The win at Salernitana means Inter Milan are undefeated in 7 of their 8 fixtures in all competitions this season.
Their only defeat came at home in Serie A against Sassuolo and there was an excellent 5-1 victory over rivals AC Milan.
In terms of the Champions League, Inter Milan started their campaign with a 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad.
The Italians needed an equaliser in the 87th minute to take a point. Trends show Inter Milan have won 2 of their last 5 Champions League fixtures.
They are undefeated in each of their last 5 home Champions League matches and have kept a clean sheet in 4 of those 5 games.
Benfica make the trip to the San Siro having beat Porto 1-0 at home in the Primeira Liga on Friday night.
The only goal of O Clássico was scored in the 68th minute with Porto down to ten men and the victory moved Benfica above Porto in the table.
The win over Porto means Benfica have won 6 of their last 7 matches in all competitions.
All 6 of the victories have come in the Primeira Liga and Benfica made a disappointing start to their Champions League campaign as they lost 2-0 at home to Salzburg. A red card in the 13th minute for Benfica did not help.
Trends show Benfica have failed to win any of their last 3 Champions League fixtures. However, they are undefeated in each of their last 10 away Champions League games, scoring 11 goals across their last 3 away matches.
Team news: Inter Milan have four players on the treatment table, with Davide Frattesi, Marko Arnautovic, Stefano Sensi, and Juan Cuadrado all set to miss out.
Benfica are without suspended defender António Silva but every other player should be fit and available for the visitors.
Benfica have a good recent away record in the Champions League and should find the back of the net in this game. However, Inter Milan reached the final of this competition last season and should have enough to claim their first victory of this campaign.