Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan Preview
Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan, the second leg of the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League, will take place on March 13. The Italian side carry a slender 1-0 lead from the first leg.
Atleti will enter this contest on the back of a stuttering run of form. With just two wins in their last eight games across competitions, they were in a spot of bother. They were knocked out of the Copa del Rey in comprehensive fashion after a 3-0 defeat to Athletic Club. Atletico lost 2-0 to 18th placed Cadiz in their last La Liga outing. The UCL was realistically the only piece of silverware they could compete for and were looking to give their all.
Inter, on the other hand, are in one of the best spells in the club’s recent history. They have not lost a game since their defeat to Bologna on December 21. Fifteen games later, Simone Inzaghi’s men find themselves a whopping 16 points clear at the top of Serie A. In terms of goals, the Nerazzurri have been on a roll. They have scored 21 goals in their last eight games, keeping six clean sheets along the way. Their last game was a 1-0 win away at Bologna as they looked to extend the winning run.
On that note, let’s take a look at the team news ahead of this fixture.
Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan Team News
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid’s Manager Diego Simeone has quite good squad depth but will have to deal with the absence of four key players. Thomas Lemar (tendon rupture), Cesar Azpilicueta (meniscus), Antoine Griezmann (ankle), and Jose Maria Gimenez (unknown) will all miss the next game.
Inter Milan
Manager Inzaghi will just be without two players for this game as most of his squad is fit. Juan Cuadrado (achilles surgery) and Stefano Sensi (unknown) remain sidelined and are expected to return at the end of this month.
Forward Marcus Thuram came off injured in their last game and was replaced by Marko Arnautovic. However, the Frenchman should return for this game.
Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan Predicted Lineups
Atletico Madrid
Atleti were full-strength in their defeat against Cadiz and will field the same lineup, expecting a better performance from every player.
Predicted XI: Jan Oblak (GK); Marcos Llorente, Axel Witsel, Gabriel Paulista, Mario Hermoso, Samuel Lino; Rodrigo de Paul, Koke (C), Saul Niguez; Memphis Depay, Alvaro Morata.
Inter Milan
Lautaro Martinez was given a well-deserved rest in their last game and will be back straight away. The manager also tweaked his backline slightly in the last game and will return to his full strength lineup against Atleti.
Predicted XI: Yann Sommer (GK); Benjamin Pavard, Stefan de Vrij, Alessandro Bastoni; Matteo Darmian, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez (C).
Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan Head-to-Head Record
Prior to this game, these two teams have met just thrice in competitive fixtures. Inter have won two while Atleti have won one of their meetings.
- Inter 1-0 Atleti (02/24)
- Atleti 0-1 Inter (08/18)
- Inter 0-2 Atleti (08/10)
Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan Prediction
Inter Milan have been in stunning form and not losing for over two months of football is no mean feat. They are the clear favourites ahead of this second leg match. With six clean sheets in their last eight games, they look formidable defensively and will be difficult to break down.
Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, have been inconsistent in the last few weeks. They have netted just four times in their last five game as they team suffers in Griezmann’s absence through injury. They will fall short against arguably Europe’s most in-form team currently.
Prediction: Atletico Madrid 1-2 Inter Milan.
Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan Betting Tips & Odds
A lot will be on the line for both teams in this game, meaning they will both go all out in attack to try and get a result. This makes both teams to score a viable market to stake on. Additionally, both teams have also seen three or more goals being scored in three of their last five games.
Betting Tips
- Both Teams to Score – Yes: 1.78
- Total Goals Over 2.5 – Yes: 2.07
- Match Result – Inter Milan: 2.65
Match Odds
- Atletico Madrid Win: 2.85
- Draw: 3.20
- Inter Milan Win: 2.65
Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan Timings & Telecast
- Date & Time: Wednesday, March 13th at 8:00 PM (GMT).
- India: Sony Sports Network, SonyLIV app & website.
- UK: TNT Sports.
- US: CBS Sports.