Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan preview, team news, match tickets & prediction

After failing to progress from the group stages last season, Atletico Madrid will be looking to show that they are much more capable among Europe's elite clubs this season. Meanwhile, Inter Milan was one step away from Champions League glory last season but just fell short in the final against eventual winners Manchester City.

The 2023/2024 UEFA Champions League group stage draw saw Atletico Madrid placed in Group E alongside Lazio, Feyenoord, and Celtic while Inter Milan had to battle it out with the likes of Real Sociedad, Benfica, RB Salzburg in Group D for a place in the round of 16.

Atletico Madrid's first game of the UEFA Champions League group stages ended in a 1-1 draw with Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico. Atletico Madrid took the lead against the run of play in the 29th minute after Pablo Barrios' long-range effort took a big deflection off a Lazio player and landed in the back of the net. Lazio snatched a point in the final minute of the game in astonishing fashion as their goalkeeper Ivan Provedel got his head on the end of a Luis Alberto cross to draw the match level.

Atletico Madrid improved on the result of their opening game against Lazio by defeating Feyenoord 3-2 in their second group-stage match. Atletico suffered an early setback in the match as they went behind fortuitously after Ayase Ueda for Oblak into a save, the rebound however smashed into Mario Hermoso and the back of the net. Alvaro Morata restored parity for Atletico Madrid in the 12th minute but they went behind again in the 34th minute as David Hanko restored Feyenoord's lead before Antoine Griezmann's acrobatic finish from close range pulled Atletico level on the stroke of halftime. Morata's 47th-minute strike after the restart secured the win for Diego Someone's men.

Atletico Madrid played out a thrilling 2-2 draw against Scottish champions Celtic next, having to fight back after falling behind twice in the match. However, Atleti were ruthless in the reverse fixture as they subjected their Scottish counterparts to a 6-0 hammering. Griezmann's deflected shot gave Atleti the lead after six minutes before Morata doubled their lead on the stroke of halftime.

Atletico Madrid were rampant after the interval, Griezmann making it 3-0 with an acrobatic finish before substitute Samuel Dias Lino bagged a stunner for Atleti's fourth. Lino went on to bag two assists as he turned provider for Morata and Saul Niguez who scored Atletico Madrid's fifth and sixth goals respectively. Diego Someone's Charges won their last two games of the group stages against Feyenoord and Lazio respectively to finish top of Group E and head into the round of 16.

Inter Milan's first game of the UEFA Champions League group stages finished in 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad. Inter fell behind in the 4th minute after Alessandro Bastoni was caught on the ball by Brais Mendez who punished Bastoni's sluggishness by slotting home beyond the reach of Yann Sommer. Inter were second-best for long periods in the game but managed to grab a late equalizer through Lautaro Martinez who was at the back post to power Davide Frattesi's low cross into the roof of the net.

Inter Milan built on their draw against Real Sociedad by securing a 1-0 victory over Portuguese champions Benfica in their second group-stage match. After a pretty tame first half, Inter came out much stronger after the restart, bombarding the Benfica defense with attack after attack and they eventually got their reward in the 62nd minute when Marcus Thuram kept his cool to convert from Denzel Dumfries' cutback, ensuring Inter's first win in Group D.

Inter registered their second win of the group stages over RB Salzburg, beating their Austrian opponents 2-1 courtesy of Alexis Sanchez and Hakan Calhanoglu strikes either side of Oscar Gloukh's goal for RB Salzburg. Inter Milan completed the double over Salzburg with a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture, Lautaro Martinez converting from twelve yards in the 85th minute after Salzburg midfielder Mads Bidstrup was penalized for handling the ball inside the box. Inter Milan contested a six-goal thriller against Benfica with both teams scoring three goals apiece to share the spoils before playing out a 0-0 stalemate against Real Sociedad in their final group stage match to see them finish second behind Real Sociedad in group D and earn themselves a spot in the round of 16.

Head-to-head records show that Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan have met two times in the past. Atletico Madrid has won one match (2 goals scored) while Inter Milan has also won one (1 goal scored).

Match tickets

It promises to be an interesting match-up at the Civitas Metropolitano in Madrid on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at 20:00 GMT.

The 70,460-capacity stadium is set to host this exciting match-up.

Getting tickets for the Atletico Madrid v Inter Milan tickets could take a lot of work given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.

Team news

Line-ups

Atletico Madrid are known for their resilient defensive block and their counter-attacking prowess. They are also quite comfortable in possession and have the ability to control games with crisp passing and positional play. Injury concerns include Vitolo (cruciate ligament), Thomas Lemar (Achilles tendon), Pablo Barrios (meniscus), and Marcus Paulo (cruciate ligament).

Atletico Madrid XI: Oblak, Hermoso, Giminez, Savic, Llorente, Lino, Niguez, Koke, De Paul, Griezmann, Morata

Inter Milan are very strong in possession, often attacking through the middle or down the wings as occasion demands. Injury concerns include Juan Cuadrado (Achilles tendon)

Inter Milan XI: Sommer, Bastoni, de Vrij, Pavard, Darmian, Dimarco, Mkhitaryan, Calhanoglu, Barella, Martinez, Thuram

Prediction

Inter Milan were finalists last season, narrowly missing out on glory as Manchester City proved to be too much for them. The Nerazzurri will most definitely be looking to go all the way this term but have a mighty hurdle to cross in Atletico Madrid.

Atletico Madrid 3-2 Inter Milan