Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan preview
After an enthralling first leg that ended in a tight 1-0 contest, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan will again lock horns in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16. Marko Arnautovic scored the game’s only goal, which means the tie is almost in the balance as Diego Simeone’s men will look for home support from the Wanda Metropolitano crowd to get one over their Italian counterparts.
Inter Milan are currently playing some of their best football and have already established a 16-point lead in the Serie A. They have conceded 13 goals, the least by any team across the top five leagues. They have taken the form in the Champions League, where they have kept four clean sheets, the joint-most by any team in the league.
They are currently on a 13-game winning streak that stretches back to the first week of January. In fact, their previous loss came on December 20, 2023, against Bologna in Coppa Italia. More impressive is that eight of these 13 games ended with a clean sheet.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid are fighting not only for a quarter-final spot but also in the league for the chance to return to the competition next season when the Champions League will be in a new format.
In five of their last games, Atletico lost three and drew one, which has been a huge concern for Simeone. However, Los Colchoneros have always brought their best to the continental tournament.
In the first leg, Atletico looked toothless, managing only seven shots, none of which were on target—at the end of the game, Inter Milan had an Expected Goal (xG) rating of 2.34 while Atletico only had a rating of 0.62.
And it is with this pressure that Simeone, a former Inter player himself, will face the Nerazzurri.
Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan predicted lineups
Atletico Madrid lineup
Atletico Madrid are currently sweating over the fitness of Antoine Griezmann and Jose Gimenez, both of whom didn’t feature in the recent game against Cadiz in La Liga. Their availability is key if the team wants to make a comeback in the second leg. However, Thomas Lemar, Vitolo, and veteran Cesar Azpilicueta will not play a part.
If Griezmann fails to be fit, Memphis Depay will most likely take his spot alongside Alvaro Morata. In case Gimenez does not pass the fitness test, Simeone has the experienced Stefan Savic as a capable alternative.
Atletico Madrid starting XI: Oblak; Llorente, Savic, Witsel, Hermoso, Lino; Saul, De Paul, Koke; Depay, Morata
Inter Milan lineup
The biggest miss for Inter Milan will be the first leg goal scorer Marko Arunatovic who has suffered a hamstring injury. Inter’s recent win against Thiago Motta’s Bologna also came at a cost, as wing-back Carlos Augusto went off injured. However, Inter had an impressive squad depth, and Federico Dimarco will be tasked with filling Augusto’s void.
Another issue that Inzaghi will face is who to pick among Denzel Dumfries and Matteo Darmian at the right wing-back spot. While Darmian has played recently, his form has been far from perfect, which could tempt Inzaghi to put the Dutchman in the squad.
Inter Milan starting XI: Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan predictions
Despite the contrasting form of the two teams, the tie aggregate is still at 1-0, with the trailing team still to play at home. Over the years, the Champions League has thrown us some brilliant games where the underdogs have surprised the favourites.
However, Inter Milan look currently the most in-form team in Europe and has rarely put a foot wrong this entire season. They also have most of their players available, and while Atletico are great at home, Inter might just edge them out on aggregate.
FootTheBall predicts a 1-1 draw.