Inter Milan expecting tough UCL game against Atletico Madrid

Atlético Madrid will travel to Inter Milan on Tuesday for the first leg of their R16 UEFA Champions League fixture at San Siro. Inter Milan are last year’s UEFA Champions League runners-up, but Atletico Madrid is also a three-time Champions League/European Cup runners-up.

The Italians are on a ten-match unbeaten run, failing to win just one in that duration, and they were unbeaten in the group stage. They come into the tie fresh from thrashing Salernitana 4-0 on Friday and confidently atop of the Serie A log.

The Nerazzurri have not lost a home Champions League fixture since September 2022, winning six times, but their record against Spanish sides at San Siro in the Champions League hasn’t been impressive, with three losses and two draws.

The game is a reunion of ex-Lazio teammates Simone Inzaghi and Diego Simeone in opposing dugouts, and Inzaghi praised the Spanish team and their manager.

“Tomorrow evening (Tuesday), we’ll face an opponent of absolute value, a quality team. In the last few games, Atletico has changed 22-23 players, and the team hasn’t changed. They’re an excellent team, coached very well by Diego. It’ll be a very complicated tie for us, but we’ll play great. Predicting what’ll happen tomorrow night isn’t easy; seeing Atletico’s last few games, they have changed a lot. I saw the game against Las Palmas, and they were very aggressive. In the Super Cup, they weren’t the same attitude; in the penultimate game in Seville, they were different again.” Inzaghi said.

Despite the appraisals from Inzaghi, Atletico Madrid are going into the fixture with just a win in four games in February, with their 5-0 win over Las Palmas last weekend the only win in that duration. They lost two others and a draw.

The game is one of the two R16 UEFA Champions League fixtures on Tuesday, with the PSV hosting Dortmund.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu