Inter Milan vs Atletico Madrid
Two clubs who love the Champions League, who crave the Champions League, who, presumably, would swap any of their recent domestic successes to taste European glory.
While neither side can be classed as among the big favourites to win this season’s tournament, both are capable of going toe-to-toe with anyone on their day.
That is why we can justifiably expect Champions League highlights in the San Siro on Tuesday night.
Talking Points
Atletico Madrid’s most recent La Liga results seem to have summed up the inconsistency which must irk manager Diego Simeone.
A fortnight ago, they grabbed a last-minute leveller in the Bernabeu to frustrate city rivals and league leaders Real.
The following weekend they went down to Sevilla, albeit opponents who are much better than their league position suggests.
In addition, forward Alvaro Morata limped out of that game with bruising on his knee bone, and a strain of his knee ligaments, although he is expected to recover some time towards the end of the month or the start of March.
That means, while he will miss this clash, he could be back in time for second leg next month.
Memphis Depay is the obvious replacement and has been in fine form in 2024, scoring and assisting at a rate higher than a goal per game.
Angel Correa is also an option.
Both were on target on Saturday lunchtime when Atletico made short work of Las Palmas in a 5-0 romp, a game in which Simeone could even afford to leave Antoine Griezmann on the bench.
It’s been said for some time that, despite losing key men and not being able to sustain the success they regularly enjoyed for the first five years or so under the Argentine, they remain a tough nut to crack and the manager continues to deserve huge praise for his impact.
That includes two appearances (and two defeats) in the Champions League Final in 2014 and 2016 respectively, although I suspect they would need a kind draw to get back to such an occasion any time soon.
Key defender Jose Maria Gimenez also made his return against Las Palmas and played for just over an hour.
He rejoined full training this week and will be needed as Atletico take on an Inter side who have built up a clear lead at the top of Serie A in recent weeks.
That period has included a fine 4-2 win at Roma when the Nerazzurri overturned a half-time deficit to outline their credentials.
On Friday night, Inter further lived up to expectations as they cruised to a 4-0 home win over bottom-placed Salernitana to strengthen their grip at the summit.
It was a contest in which Lautaro Martínez became only the third player to score at least 20 goals in three consecutive Italian league seasons after Giuseppe Meazza and Stefano Nyers.
Yes, they benefited from a kind draw but it should not be forgotten that Simone Inzaghi’s men also reached last season’s Champions League Final.
They will start as favourites.
History
Believe it or not, these clubs have only met once competitively.
That was in the UEFA Super Cup in 2010 when reigning European champions Inter met Europa League winners Atletico in Monaco,
By then Jose Mourinho had departed and successor Rafa Benitez could not prevent his side conceding twice in six second half minutes through the late and much missed Jose Antonio Reyes and Sergio Aguero.
Atletico, managed at the time by Quique Sanchez Flores, held for a 2-0 win after Diego Milito saw a last minute penalty saved by a young Daid De Gea.
Their only other meeting was a friendly in the summer of 2018 in Spain which Inter won 1-0.
Betting Tip
Last season’s defeated finalists have a distinct edge as far as the SBOTOP Champions League betting odds are concerned.
You can back Inter in a number of ways, including First Half 1X2 @ 2.52, First Half Asian Handicap -0.25 @ 2.09, 1X2 @ 1.89 and Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 2.19.
Atletico are adrift of that, including First Half 1X2 @ 4.24, First Half Asian Handicap 0.00 @ 2.63, 1X2 @ 3.85 and Asian Handicap +0.50 @ 2.01.
Atletico concede more than they used to but can still be hard to break down and that is reflected on odds of Total Goal 0-1 @ 2.84, compared to 2-3 @ 1.89. Other options include 4-6 @ 3.93 and over 2.50 goals @ 2.21.
A repeat of their only previous competitive meeting will pay out @ 23.00 with Correct Score 0-2.
I have considered honours even in this first leg with 1X2 Draw @ 3.19 but my ** bet is Half Time Full Time Draw Home @ 4.58.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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