Last year’s UEFA Champions League runners-up Inter Milan continue their quest to go one better this term with a tricky last 16 tie against three-time Champions League/European Cup runners-up Atlético Madrid, and they do so on a ten-match unbeaten run (W9, D1). Having also gone through the group stage unbeaten (W3, D3), confidence should be high among the Serie A leaders who are fresh from thrashing Salernitana 4-0 on Friday.
Inter Milan can draw further inspiration from recent home performances in this competition, having not lost a home Champions League fixture since September 2022 (W6, D2). That might be offset by a longer-term slump of just one victory from their last six home Champions League games against Spanish opponents (D2, L3), nicely setting up this reunion of ex-Lazio team-mates Simone Inzaghi and Diego Simeone in opposing dugouts.
Atlético Madrid boss Simeone spoke highly of Inter Milan prior to the match, praising their “character as a team” and outlining his expectations of a tough encounter, far removed from what they experienced on Saturday when they dispatched Las Palmas 5-0! That ended a three-match winless streak in all competitions (D1, L2) and perhaps eased Simeone’s concerns about having one day less rest than Inter.
Having already drawn with Italian opposition in this year’s competition (1-1 with Lazio) in the group stage and having beaten AC Milan at the San Siro in 2021/22, Atlético Madrid may feel they have history on their side ahead of this first ever H2H not held on neutral territory. But Simeone has waited a long time for another chance to beat Inter Milan as a manager having lost his only previous encounter with them 3-1 when in charge of Catania in May 2011.
Players to watch: Both of Lautaro Martínez’s Champions League goals for Inter Milan this term arrived after the 80th minute, as did two of his last four competitive strikes. Atlético Madrid Marcos Llorente put Las Palmas to bed with two strikes inside the opening 20 minutes on Saturday, although three of his prior four goals this season came after the 85th minute.
Hot stat: Atlético Madrid lost both previous European games officiated by referee István Kovács ‘to nil’.
