Tuesday’s Champions League Predictions: Quarter-final place awaits Man City

Greg Lea

13 March 2023

The Champions League continues on Tuesday, and Manchester City are among the teams who are looking to secure their place in the quarter-finals. Football expert Greg Lea previews the action.

Porto v Inter

Kick-off: 8pm Tuesday

This tie is on a knife edge after Inter squeezed out Porto with a 1-0 home win in the first leg. Romelu Lukaku’s 86th minute goal was the difference between the two teams at San Siro, but the Portuguese outfit will fancy their chances of overturning that deficit this week.

Porto will draw confidence from an excellent home record that has seen them win 14 of their 18 matches at the Estadio do Dragao this season. That includes victories over Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid in the group phase, which helped Sergio Conceicao’s side advance in first place.

Inter’s record on the road leaves a lot to be desired. Only Napoli have amassed more points at their own stadium than Simone Inzaghi’s side in Serie A, but Inter have failed to win eight of their 13 games on their travels, which includes a shocking 2-1 defeat at struggling Spezia on Friday.

Following the abolition of the away goals rule, Porto’s failure to score last month means a 1-0 loss was not the worst result in the world. A return of 99 goals in 42 games in all competitions shows that Conceicao’s men know how to put the ball in the back of the net, while Inter’s backline has been breached in all bar one of their away league matches.

A Porto win would not necessarily be enough for them to advance in 90 minutes, but I’m backing them to force extra time at the very least.

Prediction: Porto to win @ 2.76

Manchester City v RB Leipzig

Kick-off: 8pm Tuesday

Manchester City had to grind out a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday as Erling Haaland’s late penalty gave them all three points in south London. City are seeking their fifth Premier League title in the last six seasons, but many of their fans would accept coming second if it meant they were crowned champions of Europe for the first time.

The first leg of this tie was a game of two halves. City dominated the first interval and deservedly led, but RB Leipzig came out strong after the break and were ultimately good value for a 1-1 draw. However, Tuesday’s return fixture could be a struggle for the Bundesliga outfit.

Pep Guardiola: will be confident his side can progress to the quarter-finals

City have a formidable record in front of their own fans in this competition. They have won 14 of their last 15 European fixtures at the Etihad Stadium, including a thrilling 6-3 victory over Leipzig in the group phase last term.

We might not be treated to another nine goals this week, but a home win with goals at both ends looks like a good pick. City have conceded in eight of their 13 home matches in all competitions over the last five months, and Leipzig’s counter-attacking prowess means they should be able to find the back of the net at some point.

Avoiding defeat is another matter, though. City have picked up after a dip in form earlier this year and they should prove too strong for Leipzig on home turf.

Prediction: Manchester City to win and Both teams to score @ 2.82