What should Inter expect from Atletico Madrid? We’ve asked our friends at Football Espana to give us the lowdown on what to expect from Los Colchoneros.
Atletico Madrid come into this one knowing that 90 minutes stand between them and feeling like this was an acceptable season, with sufficient victories over Real Madrid and big nights from the team, and a bit of a disaster. Diego Simeone is beyond question, but there’s a definite feeling that the players owe him a big performance after some difficult matches away from home.
The Current Situation
Defeat to Cadiz at the weekend, a side that hadn’t won since the first of September, continued to baffle fans and analysts as to why they seem to be incapable of taking their home form on the road. Or at least show some semblance of it. It’s just two wins away in their last 11, but the good news is that Los Rojiblancos are at the Metropolitano, where they are the strongest side in Spain.
Simeone should have Antoine Griezmann back from injury. Their questionable away form has not been helped by his absence since the first leg, due to a twisted ankle, but he has had three training sessions to get right. The French talisman holds a lot of their hopes in his hands. During the calendar year of 2023, he was the best player in Spain, and can find a way where others can’t. Under close inspection is their defence, who without Jose Maria Gimenez through injury have somewhat fallen apart.
There is some confidence that Atletico can really give this a go, but altogether this side are harbouring more doubts than they have at any other part of the season. At home, at their best, this Atleti side are good enough to beat anyone though.
What to expect from the drawing board – Diego Simeone
The big difference to the first leg is the presence of Alvaro Morata and Griezmann. It’s true that Morata is struggling more in front of goal than he has all season, just one in his last 10, but part of that is down to the absence of his partner. For the first leg, Morata came on in the second half about 15 minutes before Griezmann went off, and the reality is that none of their alternatives give them the right mix up top.
Marcos Llorente is likely to start in the middle with Rodrigo de Paul and Koke Resurreccion. The former could be on the right flank, but the necessity for goals means Nahuel Molina is likely to be the more offensive option, opposite the flying Brazilian Samuel Lino. The back three are the big question. Mario Hermoso’s ability on the ball is crucial, while Axel Witsel has been their most consistent defender. Next to them is likely to be Stefan Savic, but Gabriel Paulista and Reinildo Mandava have looked equally off the pace in recent weeks.
Surprises? Well, expect an aggressive opening to the match with more pressure, before the game settles into a rhythm. Most of Atletico’s pieces tend to remain the same, except for Llorente and Griezmann. Llorente will do what he’s asked, and Griezmann will do what he sees he needs to, so if there are problems breaking the Inter press, perhaps the Frenchman will move deeper, and Llorente will seek to go beyond Morata at times.
Players that might catch your eye
For the right reasons or the wrong ones? Lino again is perhaps the unknown quantity in the line-up, while Atletico have a number of players on the bench that on their day are differential, but more often than not aren’t. Given the Inter press could be suffocating, Pablo Barrios is an interesting prospect again, and Simeone could go for broke – he doesn’t tend to through people in before they’re ready, but Arthur Vermeeren in theory has been brought in to do that, albeit down the line.
A stat to keep in mind
0. That’s the number of knockout games Diego Simeone has lost at home with Atletico Madrid. Clearly, they need a win, but it’s quite the statistic. Equally we could have gone for their home record in La Liga this season, a remarkable 13 wins and one draw. In fact, it’s just one home defeat in the last 13 months.
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