UCL Preview – Key player, tactics and unpredictability: what Atletico Madrid should expect from Inter
What should Atletico Madrid do you expect from Inter? We asked our friends Football Italy for a preview of the Serie A champions-in-waiting ahead of their Champions League meeting with the Colchoneros.
The Current Situation
It is not difficult to sign the praises of Simone Inzaghi's Inter this season; they saw a team reborn from their Champions League final loss to Manchester City last term, being a much more decisive and punishing side in their quest for glory.
The Nerazzurri have been almost flawless in Serie A this season, dropping points just four times in 28 games, with only one of those occasions being a loss. They have a 16-point lead with 10 games to play and have secured their 20th Scudetto.
Inter are now able to put their full focus on Europe's premier club competition, where they are clearly looking to wrap up an indefinite deal after finishing second last campaign. They completed a controlled and quiet group stage, but now the gloves are off in the knockout stages.
Inzaghi's side are in good form, having won their last 10 consecutive league games, and all their core stars are fully fit, with the only real absences being backup options Marko Arnautovic, Carlos Augusto, Stefano Sensi and Juan Cuadrado.
What is expected from the table – Simone Inzaghi
Inzaghi's Inter have a defined and effective game plan that they are unlikely to stray from on their trip to the Spanish capital – they will line up in a 3-5-2 formation, with a focus on passing of fast transitions, punishing counter-attacks and dynamic work from their central midfield trio.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu all played key roles in the match, able to switch focus from challenging defensive efforts to punishing attacking moves in the blink of an eye. Wide options like Federico Dimarco, Matteo Darmian and Denzel Dumfries add width as they overlap and charge the flanks.
Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram will certainly lead the line at Civitas Metropolitano, and they need no introduction at this point, having shown their deadly abilities up and down the Italian peninsula this term.
The defensive trio of Alessandro Bastoni, Benjamin Pavard and Francesco Acerbi, who have already proven to be one of the strongest three-man backlines in world football this season, line up in front of Yann Sommer.
Players who might catch your eye
While he is the obvious choice, there is no denying that Lautaro is one of the best players in European football this year, having shone match after match; in his 25 Serie A appearances this campaign, he has scored 23 goals and provided four assists, forming a dangerous partnership with Thuram.
The Argentine star is not only the finisher in Inzaghi's system, willing to leave to help tie the game and involve his teammates, growing into a complete center. In another era, Lautaro could have been celebrated in the same style as legends like Gabriel Batistuta, Marco van Basten and Ronaldo.
A stat to keep in mind
15. Inter are unbeaten in their last 15 games in all competitions, the last falling to Thiago Motta's Bologna in the Coppa Italia Round of 16 back at the end of December. As such, Atletico will have to dig surprisingly deep to try and find a way through the Nerazzurri and their 1-0 aggregate advantage.
