Atletico Madrid will host Inter Milan in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League (UCL) round of 16 at the Civitas Metropolitano Stadium on Wednesday.
The runner-ups of the 2022/23 hold a one-goal lead over Diego Simeone’s side courtesy of Marko Arnautovic's heroics at San Siro two weeks ago and have one step in the quarter-finals.
Sitting at the summit of Serie A with a massive 16-point lead, Simeone Inzaghi’s men are in red-hot form and once again look in the position to dominate not just the domestic competition but also in Europe.
On the other hand, things have not been going smoothly for Atletico Madrid as they were previously knocked out of Copa del Rey and are fourth in La Liga with 55 points, 14 less than table-toppers Real Madrid. They have also lost five of their last eight matches while Inter have won 13 straight matches across competitions and look the clear favourites to make their way to the quarter-finals.
Atletico will be without Jose Maria Gimenez, which is certainly going to be a big loss for the home side as the Uruguayan is considered one of the leaders of their defense. Other than him, Thomas Lemar will also miss the match due to his long-term injury.
Antoine Griezmann and Cesar Azpilicueta didn’t feature in the weekend’s loss to Cadiz and there are question marks on their participation in tonight’s clash.
For Inter, their hero of the first leg, Marko Arnautovic is set to miss the match tonight as he has been ruled out for a month following a hamstring injury. Right-back Juan Cuadrado will also not be back for a few weeks along with Carlos Augusto and Stefano Sensi, who are both also missing.
Likely Lineups
Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Witsel, Savic, Hermoso; Llorente, De Paul, Koke, Saul, Lino; Griezmann, Morata
Inter Milan: Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram.
Prediction
Considering their ongoing form and Atletico’s constant struggle with maintain consistency, Inter Milan remain the clear favourites to win the tie.
Scoreline: Atletico Madrid 1-1 Inter Milan, the Italian side to qualify with the aggregate scoreline of 2-1