Benfica v Inter predictions and betting tips

Where to watch Benfica v Inter

BT Sport 2, 8pm Tuesday

Best bets

Benfica
2pts 23-20 general

Joao Mario anytime goalscorer
2pts 7-2 bet365

Benfica v Inter odds

Benfica 23-20
Inter 27-10
Draw 23-10

Odds correct at time of publishing

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Benfica v Inter team news

Benfica
Nicolas Otamendi is suspended and right-back Alexander Bah injured. Mihailo Ristic, Goncalo Guedes and Julian Draxler are sidelined.

Inter
Milan Skriniar and Hakan Calhanoglu are injured.

Benfica v Inter predictions

Benfica's Primeira Liga rivals Porto couldn't find a way past Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana in the Champions League last 16 but don't expect the Eagles to miss out when they welcome the Nerazzurri to Lisbon.

Porto had two goes at Inter in the previous round and rained blow after blow on the Italian giants. But despite firing off 31 shots, 11 on target, over two action-packed legs, Onana couldn't be beaten and the Serie A powerhouses snuck through 1-0 on aggregate thanks to a Romelu Lukaku goal at the San Siro.

Inter are back in Portugal on Tuesday night, this time in the capital where Benfica can do to them what Porto failed to in the previous round.

Roger Schmidt's Eagles are flying with a seven-point lead in the Portuguese top flight despite Friday's home loss to Porto and they are an imposing proposition at their Estadio da Luz home.

They topped a qualifying section featuring PSG and Juventus and have piled in 114 goals this term already, five of them against Club Brugge in their last home tie in this competition.

Four of their squad have reached double figures for the campaign including 23-goal Joao Mario, who takes penalties and is a hard man to ignore in the anytime scorer betting at 7-2.

There is certainly a potency about the Benfica attack which is in stark contrast to that being produced by Inter.

You can't really make comparisons between the pair's domestic competitions but the reality is that Inter are struggling to score goals and win games.

Like Benfica, they defied the odds just to make the last 16 – they were the meat in a Bayern-Barca sandwich in the group stage – but were made to look second-best for long periods in Porto where they hung on for a 0-0 draw.

They are without a win in six in all competitions while Lautaro Martinez is without a goal in the same number. Romelu Lukaku fluffed his audition for a place alongside the World Cup winner by missing an absolute sitter in Friday's 1-1 draw at Salernitana in Serie A, a result which saw Simone Inzaghi's men drop to fifth in the table just a few weeks after they had been second.

Edin Dzeko is being widely tipped to partner Martinez in Lisbon which shouldn't unduly perturb Schmidt, even if he is minus defensive mainstay Nicolas Otamendi through suspension.

Key stat

Benfica have won 18 of their last 21 home games and scored in all 21.

Probable teams

Benfica (4-2-3-1): Vlachodimos; Gilberto, Morato, Antonio Silva, Grimaldo; Florentino, Chiquinho; Mario, Rafa, Aursnes; Goncalo Ramos.
Subs: Rodrigues, Verissimo, Neves, Schjelderup, Ndour, Musa, Neres, Tengstedt.

Inter (3-1-4-2): Onana; Darmian, Bastoni, Acerbi; Brozovic; Dumfries, Barrella, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Dzeko.
Subs: D'Ambrosio, de Vrij, Bellanova, Gagliardini, Asllani, Gosens, Correa, Lukaku