diff --git a/src/main/java/org/codehaus/groovy/classgen/asm/sc/StaticTypesBinaryExpressionMultiTypeDispatcher.java b/src/main/java/org/codehaus/groovy/classgen/asm/sc/StaticTypesBinaryExpressionMultiTypeDispatcher.java
index cdf68525904..4c77d35888f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/codehaus/groovy/classgen/asm/sc/StaticTypesBinaryExpressionMultiTypeDispatcher.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/codehaus/groovy/classgen/asm/sc/StaticTypesBinaryExpressionMultiTypeDispatcher.java
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@
 import static org.codehaus.groovy.transform.sc.StaticCompilationVisitor.ARRAYLIST_CONSTRUCTOR;
 import static org.codehaus.groovy.transform.stc.StaticTypeCheckingSupport.isAssignment;
 import static org.codehaus.groovy.transform.stc.StaticTypeCheckingVisitor.inferLoopElementType;
+import static org.codehaus.groovy.transform.stc.StaticTypesMarker.DECLARATION_INFERRED_TYPE;
 import static org.codehaus.groovy.transform.stc.StaticTypesMarker.DIRECT_METHOD_CALL_TARGET;
 import static org.codehaus.groovy.transform.stc.StaticTypesMarker.INFERRED_FUNCTIONAL_INTERFACE_TYPE;
 import static org.codehaus.groovy.transform.stc.StaticTypesMarker.INFERRED_TYPE;
@@ -171,8 +172,10 @@ protected void evaluateBinaryExpressionWithAssignment(final String method, final
     public void evaluateEqual(final BinaryExpression expression, final boolean defineVariable) {
         Expression leftExpression = expression.getLeftExpression();
         Expression rightExpression = expression.getRightExpression();
-        if (defineVariable && (rightExpression instanceof LambdaExpression || rightExpression instanceof MethodReferenceExpression)) {
-            rightExpression.putNodeMetaData(INFERRED_FUNCTIONAL_INTERFACE_TYPE, leftExpression.getNodeMetaData(INFERRED_TYPE));
+        if (rightExpression instanceof LambdaExpression || rightExpression instanceof MethodReferenceExpression) {
+            ClassNode leftType = leftExpression.getNodeMetaData(DECLARATION_INFERRED_TYPE); // GROOVY-11353
+            if (leftType == null) leftType = leftExpression.getNodeMetaData(INFERRED_TYPE);
+            rightExpression.putNodeMetaData(INFERRED_FUNCTIONAL_INTERFACE_TYPE, leftType);
         }
         if (leftExpression instanceof PropertyExpression) {
             PropertyExpression pexp = (PropertyExpression) leftExpression;