Can Benni do it again?
By Jonty Mark and Reuters
Benni McCarthy's incredible run with FC Porto in the Uefa Champions League faces perhaps its biggest test yet on Tuesday evening.
The Bafana Bafana star, who won the trophy under Jose Mourinho last year, has been instrumental in getting Porto through to the last 16 this time around, netting crucial goals against CSKA Moscow and Chelsea in the group stages.
But McCarthy will have to produce the performance of his life if Porto are to get past Inter Milan in the San Siro on Tuesday.
The two sides have had an extra week to prepare for Tuesday's Champions League knockout round, second leg but neither has used it well.
The first game ended 1-1 in Portugal and the return was held over as Inter's city neighbours AC Milan, who share the San Siro stadium, were also drawn at home for their second-leg match.
The additional preparation has hardly helped Champions League holders Porto, whose coach Jose Couceiro must get his players over a 4-0 defeat by Nacional Madeira, their worst home loss for 30 years.
Inter battled to a 1-1 draw at Lazio on Sunday but were unimpressive, only getting back into the game after the Rome side were reduced to 10 men.
"We will definitely have to play better than at Lazio," said Inter coach Roberto Mancini.
Inter's entire season hangs on Tuesday's match. They are out of the Serie A title race, 16 points behind leaders AC Milan, but have reserved their best performances for Europe.
"There are different matches in the Champions League and this is like a final," Inter midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron said.
"We can't have a repeat of our performance at Lazio though - it would be suicide if we allow Porto to run the match," the Argentine added.
Form is not the only worry for Mancini, with Colombian defender Ivan Cordoba and left back Giuseppe Favalli suspended.
Mancini is hoping Marco Materazzi recovers from a nasty cut received on Saturday to line up alongside Sinisa Mihajlovic in the centre of defence.
The Inter coach also has worries in attack where Nigeria's Obafemi Martins and Italy international Christian Vieri are struggling to maintain fitness and Uruguayan Alvaro Recoba is sidelined.
Friday's defeat knocked Porto off the top of the Portuguese standings and they now lag three points behind Benfica.
"We have to lift our heads and fight to get past this moment. Facing Inter, I hope that Porto is able to react and get a good result," said Couceiro, Porto's third coach this season.
Probable Teams
Inter Milan: 1-Francesco Toldo; 13-Ze Maria, 11-Sinisa Mihajlovic, 23-Marco Materazzi, 4-Javier Zanetti; 5-Emre Belozoglu, 14-Juan Sebastian Veron, 19-Esteban Cambiasso, 25-Dejan Stankovic; 10-Adriano, 30-Obafemi Martins/32-Christian Vieri
Porto: 99-Vitor Baia; 22-Georgios Seitaridis, 5-Ricardo Costa, 2-Jorge Costa, 8-Nuno Valente; 33-Raul Meireles, 18-Maniche Ribeiro, 6-Costinha, 16-Diego; 10-Ricardo Quaresma, 77-Benni McCarthy
Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway)
TV: 9pm, live, ESPN on DStv
Fact file on Inter and Porto
- Inter Milan:
Suspended: Ivan Cordoba, Giuseppe Favalli (both one-match bans)
Injured: Alvaro Recoba (shin)
Doubtful: Marco Materazzi (head), Christian Vieri (knee), Obafemi Martins (back)
- Porto
Suspended: None
Injured: Jose Bosingwa (thigh)
Doubtful: None
n Head-to-heads
Played: 1
Draws: 1
Champions league last-16
23.02.05 Porto 1, Inter Milan 1
- Inter have not conceded a goal at home in the Champions League this season and have lost just twice in 18 home games in the competition.
- Inter have won six and drawn one of their seven home matches against Portuguese opponents.
- Porto have lost only two of their last 12 European away games, winning four of them and drawing six. They have won on two of their last four visits to Italy.
- Porto, Uefa Cup winners in 2003 and European champions last year, risk being eliminated for the first time in three seasons. They had a dismal Champions League second group phase in 2001-02, losing four games out of six.