UEFA Champions League Quarter-final Preview: Benfica vs Inter Milan

The grid keeps getting smaller and smaller as we finally get down to real business. It"s about time we begin to perceive the aroma of European glory, teams drive themselves the extra mile to ensure they make history and break it.

We"re down to just eight. It all started with thirty-two from all across Europe but now we"re left with eight. And over the next couple of games, there would be an exact downsizing by half. It doesn"t get any better, does it?

The UEFA Champions League is set to return, to take the big picture once again on April 11. With no doubt, this competition will be stealing the thunder the leagues have garnered in the past couple of weeks. All eyes turn to Europe where the likes of Madrid, Napoli and Manchester City slug it out for the prestigious trophy.

Manchester City were dealt a rather tough card in Bayern Munich, Napoli may be on the brink of making the last four being the beneficiaries of a relatively lucky AC Milan draw, Inter Milan would walk into the quarter-finals with their heads held up high having to face Benfica while Chelsea and Real Madrid lock horns in a remake from last season"s quarter-final showdown.

So, without further ado, let"s delve into these four amazing match-ups.

You can find the previews of the other matchups here:

Napoli vs AC Milan

Real Madrid vs Chelsea

Bayern Munich vs Manchester City

SL Benfica vs Inter Milan

One would definitely bet Simone Inzaghi and the rest of the crew heaved a huge sigh of relief when they were pitted against Portuguese outfit, Benfica. Not that Roger Schmidt"s side are not a challenge but rather that the three-time UCL winners are on the safer side when it comes to advancing to the last four.

Inter face the threats of losing their Champions League qualification spot to either Atalanta or AS Roma, as the latter two are in hot pursuit of Inzaghi"s side at the Serie A summit where they"ve attained just two points more.

While Inter"s qualification to the knock-out stages must have been quite unprecedented owing to the fact that they had to pull off a win against Barcelona to go through, their path through the knock-out stages has been quite easier.

And yes, Inter are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2010 when they last won the prestigious tournament. But it"s definitely an open tie. Schmidt"s side would still be a tough nut to crack for the Nerazzuri on the night. The Eagles remain undefeated in Europe"s top tier competition and what makes this more special is the fact that they could achieve this feat in a group which contained both Paris Saint Germain and Juventus. Stealing top spot from the star studded PSG, Benfica preyed on Club Brugge in the last 16 where they thrashed the Belgian outfit 7-1 on aggregate. And they definitely can keep at it here in the quarter-finals.

SL Benfica vs Inter Milan Key Stats

• Schmidt"s side are the third undefeated team in the UEFA Champions League this season after Bayern Munich and Manchester City, with six wins and two draws recorded up until now.
• Simone Inzaghi"s men have lost all of their past five games. They scored just two goals across these games.
• SL Benfica are quite invincible this season, having lost only one game across all competitions so far(a 3-0 away loss to Braga)
• The Eagles have kept nine clean sheets in their past twelve outings in all competitions. They are unbeaten on home ground this season where they are set to host Inter next week.
• The Eagles reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2012, 2016 and 2022 eventually collapsing to Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Liverpool respectively.
• Benfica are yet to advance beyond the last eight of the competition since 1989-90 when they finished as runners up to AC Milan whilst Inter Milan last reached the semis in 2010, eventually clinching the trophy.

Benfica vs Inter Milan key players

Benfica(Joao Mario):

Last season was a rather difficult one for Benfica despite their ability to reach the Champions League quarter-finals. Compared to this current term, where they"ve capitulated in just one fixture, there"s a noticeable improvement with this being the better spell. And where Darwin Nunez had to carry the club on his shoulders last term with 34 goals in all competitions, the burden has been split evenly between Joao Mario, Goncalo Ramos and Rafa Silva. The former Internazionale midfielder has been on fire this season for the Eagles, racking up 23 goals in 41 games so far compared to his debut season last spell where he managed only four strikes in 45 games.

Benfica(Goncalo Ramos):

A breakthrough project for Roger Schmidt"s side, the prodigy is currently in the form of his life at the Portuguese club. Similar to the kind of surge Joao Mario has experienced this term, the 21-year old striker has more than tripled(25 goals) his total tally from last season(8 goals). He scored four goals in helping Benfica qualify for the Champions League this season.

Benfica (Rafa Silva):

The third man who plays a huge role for Roger Schmidt"s side this season. The Portuguese winger is the least of the trio in terms of total goals scored this season but has exactly matched(12) the number of goals he scored last season(12).

The 29-year old has the biggest say in the Champions League where he has scored more goals(6) than any other Benfica player.

Benfica vs Inter Milan Head-to-Head

Both sides are quite strangers to each other having only met twice before now. The Italian and Portuguese outfit clashed in an Europa League Round of 16 tie back in 2004 with Inter Milan prevailing(4-3, 0-0) with a win and a draw, 4-3 on aggregate.

Main image credit Embed from Getty Images