Stadio Giuseppe Meazza forms the backdrop for the first leg of a mouth-watering Champions League last-16 tie between Inter and Atletico Madrid. Tuesday’s blockbuster clash comes at the best possible moment for Simone Inzaghi’s side as they head into proceedings amid a purple patch.
Inter put Serie A basement boys Salernitana to the sword in their final warm-up fixture ahead of this contest. Inspired by their formidable duo Latuaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram, Nerazzurri humbled the Salerno outfit 4-0 on Fabio Liverani’s touchline debut last Friday to go nine points clear of second-placed Juventus with a game in hand.
With the first Scudetto since 2020/21 virtually in the bag, Inter turn to their European commitments, looking to better last season’s runner-up finish. The Italians embark on their third consecutive Champions League knockout campaign in a buoyant mood after stringing together ten unbeaten matches in competitive action (W9, D1).
However, Atletico Madrid’s visit to Lombardy will put Inter’s continental credentials to a stern test. Diego Simeone’s charges found a way out of a mini-crisis at the weekend, thumping Las Palmas 5-0 at home to end a three-match winless streak (D1, L2) and set themselves up nicely for this encounter.
Already well behind the La Liga title pace and on the verge of exiting the Copa del Rey semi-finals after a 1-0 first-leg loss to Athletic Bilbao on home soil, Atletico must put all the chips in the middle at Europe’s top table to avoid another trophyless season. But that’s unlikely to scare Inter off.
Match Preview
Inter
Not many European sides can boast a more intimidating start to the new calendar year than Inter. Inzaghi’s high-flyers have reigned supreme since the calendar flipped to 2024, winning all eight matches in domestic action, including victories in Saudi Arabia en route to a third consecutive Supercoppa Italiana trophy in January.
Since returning from Riyadh, they’ve won all four league games via an aggregate score of 10-2, reinforcing their bid to defy their recent home struggles against Spanish visitors. Indeed, runaway Serie A leaders have only won once in the last six European matches against La Liga clubs they’ve hosted (D2, L3).
Against this backdrop, Inter have turned Meazza into a fortress, going undefeated in their last eight home games in the Champions League (W8, D2) since a 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich in September 2022.
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid’s all-time record against Italian adversaries in UEFA competition (W15, D3, L12) indicates they will not go down without a fight despite the odds. But Los Colchoneros will hardly relish Istvan Kovacs’ appointment as the referee of this fixture as they’ve lost both previous European games officiated by the Hungarian without scoring.
Further skepticism stems from Atletico Madrid’s dismal four-game form on hostile turf (W1, D2, L1). Simeone’s troops have netted one goal or fewer on their last three road trips, fuelling doubts over their capacity to beat Inter’s fearsome backline. But despite all the negatives, there’s a silver lining for the Madrid heavyweights.
They scored as many goals in the abovementioned rout of Las Palmas as in their five previous outings combined. On top of that, they held Inter’s domestic rivals Lazio to a 1-1 away draw in this season’s Champions League group stages, making it back-to-back visits to Italy without defeat (W1, D1).
Team News
Long-term absentee Juan Cuadrado will not be the only missing player in the Inter squad. Stefano Sensi and Francesco Acerbi are also unavailable due to injuries. Stefan de Vrij should take the Italian’s place at the heart of Inzaghi’s back three. Federico Dimarco should displace Carlos August at left-back despite the latter’s outstanding performance against Salernitana.
As for Atletico Madrid, Cesar Azpilicueta, Jesus Vitolo, and Thomas Lemar remain on the sidelines with fitness problems. However, the rest of Simeone’s star-studded squad is fit, even Alvaro Morata, who’s more likely to start on the bench after picking up a knock in a 1-0 defeat at Sevilla a fortnight ago.
Inter vs Atletico Madrid Potential Lineups
Inter (3-5-2): Yann Sommer; Benjamin Pavard, Stefan de Vrij, Alessandro Bastoni; Matteo Darmian, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez.
Atletico Madrid (3-5-2): Jan Oblak; Stefan Savic, Axel Witsel, Mario Hermoso; Llorente, Pablo Barrios, Rodrigo De Paul, Koke, Samuel Lino; Antoine Griezmann, Memphis Depay.
Inter vs Atletico Madrid Prediction
With momentum firmly on their side, Inter are in a prime position to claim an all-important first-leg lead ahead of the return leg in Spain. We expect Atletico Madrid to give the Italian powerhouse a run for their money, but Inzaghi’s men are too good to be fended off by Simeone’s porous defense.
Prediction: Inter Win
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