Former Inter and Porto defender Alvaro Pereira is predicting an extremely close matchup between his two former sides in the Champions League round of sixteen.
Speaking to Italian news outlet FCInterNews, the Uruguayan predicted that it will be essentially 50/50 as to which of the pair goes through, arguing that it is the most evenly-balanced tie in this round of the Champions League and that it will come down to details.
Whilst Inter will have perhaps felt fortunate to have avoided teams like Real Madrid and Manchester City in the draw for the round of sixteen, they will hardly be underestimating the quality of Porto, who have shown that they can be a force in Europe.
On the other side, the Portuguese champions will be well aware of how formidable their task is up against the Nerazzurri.
In the view of former defender Pereira, there is essentially little to split the two teams.
Looking ahead to the tie, the Uruguan said that “I would say that it’s 50/50, either way.”
“It’s one of the most balanced matchups in the Champions League this season,” he continued.
Pereira went on that “Inter went through a bad period of form, but they’ve gotten over it, the Nerazzurri still play good football.”
“The same goes for Porto,” he continued, “they’re chasing Benfica in the league but doing very well in the cup competitions.”
“It’s no coincidence that they’ve won their last ten matches,” Pereira said of Porto.
“Porto are a club who always want to be a top side in Europe, reach the last eight if not the last four of competitions, it’ll be a tough matchup.”
“I don’t know if there will necessarily be many goals,” he predicted, “but I expect both teams to try and dominate the match.”
“In the end, the details will make the difference,” Perreira suggested, “whichever side takes advantage of the opportunities they manage to create will go through.”
Asked who he expects to be the decisive players, Pereira replied that “For Porto I’d say Taremi, Grujic, and Mateus Uribe.”
“Barella would be the one for Inter,” he added, “but also Lautaro, who should play alongside one of Lukaku or Dzeko.”