FC Internazionale - Atletico Madrid predictions and free betting tips [20/02/2024]

On Tuesday, 20th February in the first match of the ⅛ Champions League final, "Inter" will host in their home turf, Madrid's "Atletico". The "Nerazzurri" on this past Friday thrashed "Salernitana" with a score of 4:0, while the "mattress makers" also delighted their fans with a big victory over "Las Palmas" (5:0).

Projected Lineups

"Inter": Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez.
"Atletico": Oblak; Savic, Witsel, Hermoso; Llorente, Barrios, De Paul, Koke, Lino; Griezmann, Depay.

Stadium

The match will take place in Milan at San Siro stadium.

"Inter"

An unfortunate finalist of last year's Champions League, Milan's "Inter" this season intends to achieve more and, why not, win the main continental trophy, which the club has not won since 2010. The "Nerazzurri" clearly aspired to take first place in their group, but gave up the primacy to "Real Sociedad", which they failed to beat (1:1 away and 0:0 at home). With 3 wins and 3 draws, the Lombards had to settle for second place, ahead of "Benfica" and "Salzburg".

On the domestic front, Simone Inzaghi's team is confidently marching towards another Scudetto: having lost to "Sassuolo" at the end of September, the hosts have not made mistakes since and now sit at the top of the Serie A standings with one game in hand and a 9-point lead over the following "Juventus". Furthermore, the Milanese have won the last 6 matches: managing to defeat "Verona" (2:1), "Monza" (1:5), "Fiorentina" (0:1), "Juventus" (1:0), "Roma" (2:4) and "Salernitana" this past weekend (4:0). It is important to note that the "Nerazzurri" have only lost one of their last 13 UEFA Champions League matches - and still kept eight clean sheets. 

"Atletico"

Madrid's "Atletico" has twice reached the final of Europe's most prestigious club competition, both times against arch-rival "Real" (in Lisbon in 2014 and Milan in 2016) - and both times unsuccessfully. Surely the "mattress makers" want to win the coveted trophy in the current campaign. Last season the visitors dropped out of the tournament at the group stage, finishing fourth after Bayer Leverkusen, Brugge and Porto. In La Liga, Diego Simeone's team is far behind the cream in the title race (4th place, 13 points behind).

Like "Inter", the Madrilenos did not suffer a single defeat at the group stage of the Champions League (4 wins, 2 draws), but then they suffered three straight defeats in February: against "Athletic Bilbao" in the first Copa del Rey semi-final match (0:1), draw with "Real" in the derby at Bernabeu (1:1) and 1:0 defeat to crisis-ridden "Sevilla" on 11th February. On the other hand, they pounded "Las Palmas" (5:0) last weekend. However, it is important to note that "Atletico" has only won four times on the road in the championship, and was also knocked out of the Spanish Super Cup outside the Wanda Metropolitano - in Saudi Arabia. 

Head-to-Head

The only encounter between these teams took place in 2010 in the UEFA Super Cup, and then the "mattress makers" won thanks to goals from Sergio Aguero and the late Jose Antonio Reyes.

Match Prediction for "Inter" vs "Atletico"

This is perhaps the most unpredictable pair in the 1/8 finals of the current Champions League draw. "Inter" reached the final last May and is in excellent form, blowing away all comers in the national championship. However, it is clear to everyone - underestimating Simeone's gang is not worth it, although the "mattress makers" will probably bet on the return match at home. I dare to bet on a victory for the "Nerazzurri".

Total Goals Prediction

Obviously, it is not worth expecting a wealth of goals scored from this match. "Atletico" will be the second number and defend the zeros on the scoreboard, while the "Nerazzurri" will not open up, risking a counterattack. I bet on a total under 2.5 goals.

Corner Prediction

"Inter", with the support of the home stands, will take the initiative and attack more - I expect a corner victory from the Milanese.

Yellow Card Prediction

The heat on the pitch will not subside for the entire 90 minutes of the game, and everyone knows the provocative style of play of Simeone's wards. We confidently bet on the total yellow cards over 4.5.

Score Prediction

I bet on the exact score of 1:0 in favor of "Inter".