Feyenoord vs Inter Milan Prediction: Visitors to edge the first leg

Feyenoord defeated AC Milan in the play-off round of the Uefa Champions League and now they must face I Rossoneri's rivals Inter Milan in the round of 16. The Dutch side host the first leg at Stadion Feijenoord on Wednesday (17:45, TNT Sports 2).

Inter boast the best defensive record in this competition with just one goal conceded during the league phase, which came against Bayer Leverkusen. This looks set up to be an interesting battle and below you will find my Feyenoord vs Inter Milan predictions, alongside the latest match odds and team news.

Feyenoord vs Inter Milan Odds

Feyenoord have won three of their five home outings in the Champions League so far, so there is value to be had in backing them to win at 5/1 (which has an implied probability of 16.7%. This will likely be a result of Inter's impeccable defensive record, though, which must be considered.

The hosts have drawn two European matches thus far, including their home leg with AC Milan last month. The other came against Manchester City, who Inter also shared the spoils with during the league phase.

Feyenoord have also played out two goalless draws in their previous three Eredivisie fixtures. The stalemate is on offer at 100/30 on this occasion.

Inter have won six of their eight matches in the Champions League this term, including two of their four away trips. They are 4/7 to come away with the three points but better value can be found in backing them to win to nil at 8/5 (38.5%), which was the outcome in all six of their victories.

Both teams have scored in only two of I Nerazzurri's past 14 away contests in all competitions, so BTTS No could be an enticing market at 1/1.

Football Odds

Team News

Feyenoord boss Robin van Persie will take charge of his first European match as a manager on Wednesday and fatigue will be a concern for the former Heerenveen head coach.

De club aan de Maas have been through a gruelling 16-day period in which they have played five times. Van Persie will look to freshen up where he can, so we could teenagers teenager Zepiqueno Redmond feature, who started at San Siro against Milan.

Givairo Read also lined up in that match but he won't be able to play on Wednesday as he must serve a suspension. Hwang In-beom, Bart Nieuwkoop, Calvin Stengs, Gernot Trauner, striker Ayase Ueda, first-choice goalkeeper Justin Bijlow and captain Quinten Timber are the most notable players ruled out of this clash, while Antoni Milambo and Jakub Moder are both doubts.

Inter captain Lautaro Martinez has the opportunity to become the club's all-time leading goalscorer in either the European Cup or Champions League with a goal on Wednesday. He is currently level with Sandro Mazzolo on 17.

'El Toro' is set to lead the line for I Nerazzurri, alongside Marcus Thuram, with this being Simone Inzaghi's preferred pairing this season.

The visitors are dealing with a bit of a wing-back crisis, however, as Carlos Augusto, Matteo Darmian, Federico Dimarco and Nicola Zalewski are all out of action due to muscular injuries.

First-choice goalkeeper Yann Sommer is also in the medical bay so Josep Martinez will be the man in between the sticks in Rotterdam.

Inter Milan to win to nil @ 8/5

Feyenoord have done brilliantly to reach this stage of the Champions League but they are not the same side that started this journey back in September. On top of a managerial change, they lost their main man up front, Santiago Gimenez to AC Milan in the winter transfer window.

They bested I Rossoneri but I think Inter are better-equipped for European competition than their bitter rivals. I've already praised the visitors for their excellent defensive record, and this should serve them well against Feyenoord, who have shown signs of attacking impotence in recent weeks.

Inter often frustrate their opponents with their defensive organisation, which often limits teams to very few chances. I imagine Inzaghi will drill into his players to be compact in this away leg, and this could help them gain the advantage if they are clinical with their own breaks.

All six of their wins in the Champions League this campaign saw them to win to nil, and I fancy this trend to continue in the Netherlands.

Under 1.5 goals @ 3/1

Most of those victories were narrow, though, with four of them being by a 1-0 scoreline. As such, I think there is value to be had in backing under 1.5 goals on Wednesday.

There were less than two goals in six of I Nerazzurri's eight appearances in the league phase, including all four of their away outings. Additionally, two of their past three Serie A matches have also produced under 1.5 goals, which bodes well for this contest.

Feyenoord's only Champions League fixture to date that went under 1.5 goals was their 1-0 victory over AC Milan in February. However, two of their previous three games in the league were goalless stalemates, so we could be in for a low-scoring affair in Rotterdam.

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.