PREDICTED LINE-UPS | Atletico Madrid v Inter

Inter will aim to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League when they face an out-of-sorts Atletico Madrid tonight at the Wanda Metropolitano in the second leg of the two-legged last-16 clash.

Atletico Madrid are having a sub-par season plagued by inconsistent performances as they now have their fourth place in the league standings under threat from Athletic Club. Diego Simeone has come under pressure as Los Colchoneros have only won two of their last nine fixtures across all competitions. Their last match in La Liga ended in a 2-0 defeat to lowly Cadiz. A brace from Junami sealed the victory for the hosts as Atletico failed to make it back-to-back wins following the 2-1 win over Real Betis earlier this month. The Madrid-based side will hope to have the home fans on their back as they embark on fulfilling the gigantic task of a ‘remontada’ against their Italian opponents. 

Meanwhile, Inter come into this match on the back of a narrow 1-0 victory against Bologna in their previous outing. A diving header from Yann Aurel Bisseck helped them go 18 points clear at the top of the Serie A table as Simone Inzaghi’s men strengthened their grip on the Scudetto for this season. The Nerazzurri are on a winning run of 13 consecutive matches across all competitions and they will hope to navigate through Atletico Madrid swiftly without any slip-ups. Last season’s Champions League finalists will aim to have another shot at the title, this time with much in-form squad and one of the best-attacking sides in Europe this campaign. 

Here are the predicted line-ups for the match:

Atletico Madrid (5-3-2): Oblak; Molina, Savic, Witsel, Hermoso, Lino; Saul, De Paul, Koke; Depay, Morata

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez

Trambak Bhattacherjee | GIFN