Athletistic/ Football. On Wednesday February 22, two other first matches of the 1/8 finals will take place. RB Leipzig will face Manchester City and Inter will face Porto.
RB Leipzig – Manchester City
Prediction: both teams to score
Before the first meeting between Leipzig and Manchester City on German soil, Pep Guardiola’s team is considered by the bookmakers as the big favorites for the Champions League. The performance stability of both teams this season can also be considered low. Manchester City have often missed out on the Premier League title fight, which last happened to the Mancunians last Saturday. In Leipzig, the same problem is observed during the fight for a place in the Champions League zone of the German championship. For the upcoming game, the bookmakers have reportedly chosen Manchester City as the favourites, setting a coefficient of around 1.80 for their victory. Leipzig got off to a bad start to the current season as the club’s management decided in September to replace Domenico Tedesco as head coach with Marco Rosa, who hadn’t had much success coaching Borussia Dortmund before the Bulls. . However, under the new coach, Leipzig played with more confidence, corrected the situation in the Champions League group, as well as on the national stage. The “Bulls” resumed the season perfectly after a two-month break, but lost five points in three Bundesliga matches in February. On Saturday, Rose’s team beat Fort Wolfsburg 3-0 away from home, so Manchester’s guests will be welcomed in good spirits. As for the mood of the Mancunians, its quality is questionable. Guardiola’s side had just overtaken Arsenal in the Premier League table when they dropped points at Nottingham. Probably, the Mancunians had some mood problems, because now they are in good shape, thanks to which in the middle of last week they beat their direct rival in the fight for the title, Arsenal, in London. Manchester City and Leipzig were once brought together by fate in the last Champions League. Then in the group stage, the rivals traded home wins. Both encounters were productive and at the Etihad the teams scored a total of nine goals. It is unlikely that such a performance will be possible next Wednesday, but the English and German clubs are quite capable of exchanging balls.
Inter Porto
Prediction: both teams to score
On Wednesday, February 22, Inter will play at home against Porto. Simone Inzaghi’s quarters are considered the couple’s favorites. The team has acquired a quality form in 2023. The club has already won several great victories. They notably managed to win the Italian Supercup and beat Milan and Napoli in the league. The club can be considered one of the Champions League shadow favourites. A big help for Inter is the return of several key players. For example, midfielder Brozovic is available again. Only Joaquin Correa is on the injured list so far. In the last game against Udinese, a significant event happened – the first goal since August was scored by Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian converted the penalty. At present, Inzaghi has a very rich choice of interpreters for each position. In the Italian league, Inter’s main task is to finish in the top four. As the club confidently go second. You can focus on the Champions League. There is no special template for goals. The club alternates high and low matches. In the last ten meetings, Inter have never conceded more than one goal. In defense, there are still questions. Usually in matches with attacking opponents, problems arise. Porto in 2023 also leaves no doubt about their game. According to the results – an ideal series. To date, the club has won ten matches in a row. Porto have an obvious downtrend in recent encounters. The team completed five out of six games with a total under. Porto didn’t go without a trophy either. The club won the League Cup. Sporting managed to win the final. “Lviv” after that it turned out to beat in the championship. Otherwise, the opponents were of a low level. The team met the middle peasants and foreigners from the local league. Porto have a lot of personnel losses. The club currently has seven players under different injury statuses at a time. Productive striker Galeno is questionable for the game with Inter. There is also no main striker Otavio. Moreover, defender Cardoso will definitely not enter the pitch. There are doubts about Uribe’s health. In Italy, a relatively productive football is visible. Porto won’t act strictly as a number two. The club has great attacking potential. You just have to see the results in the Champions League in a difficult group. Porto beat Bayer and Brugge on the road. Also scored by Atlético. Inter have several attacking stars in top form at the same time. Lautaro Martinez stands out. In other words, a match with a large number of goals is very likely. Inter are unlikely to settle for a one-goal win and won’t close if they take the lead.
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Source: Sport
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
