Inter vs Porto Prediction: Will Pepe's experience prove decisive against Martinez and Lukaku?

In the first match of the round of 16 of the Champions League, Inter will face Porto at home. The clubs' last head-to-head encounters in the tournament took place in 2005. After 18 years, experienced defender Pepe will once again defend the Dragons' colors against the Nerazzurri. Will Pepe's experience prove decisive against Martinez and Lukaku?

Inter

The team was in Group C, including Bayern Munich and Barcelona. They survived the pressure of a challenging group and were able to get ready for the main games despite their disappointing Serie A performance and a barrage of criticism. A 1:0 home win over the Blues was decisive. The Nerazzurri qualified for the playoffs in second place, while the Catalans went on to play in the Europa League. Inter is approaching the game against Porto in good form. In the last stretch, the Nerazzurri upset neighbors AC Milan and won the Italian Super Cup, were stronger than Atalanta, and reached the semifinals of the Italian Cup. Inter is currently sitting comfortably in second place at the Serie A table.

Porto

Many people wrote Porto off after the results of the first two rounds of the Champions League group stage. The team started very weakly and suffered two defeats. However, the Dragons made tremendous progress, winning four in a row and taking first place in Group B with the best goal difference between goals scored and conceded. Porto cannot yet come close to Benfica in the Portuguese championship, trailing the Lisbon club by five points. Porto has a winning streak of ten appearances. Benfica also did not allow a single misfire in the last stretch.

Expert Betting Tips

Porto is severely underestimated in this pairing. Inter has left a lot of game problems behind, but the team still lacks stability in defense, which can be used by Conceição's already experienced players in the Champions League. Porto isn't accustomed to making a comeback. There will be a very tense confrontation. As you know, the team under Conceição plays pretty tough and is not afraid to foul a lot. It's no wonder that in most of the Dragons' games, the players get 5+ warnings. Srđan Jovanović is assigned as the main referee. The Serbian has shown 4+ cards during four games of the current schedule. We think there will be a lot of fighting, fouls, and a draw.

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