Inter v Atletico Madrid: the complete guide

On Tuesday, 20 February at 21:00 CET, Inter will face Atletico Madrid at the San Siro in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Round of 16. This will mark Inter's first knockout stage match in the premier European competition against a Spanish team since the 2009-10 semi-final, when the Nerazzurri eliminated Barcelona.

I CONVOCATI DELL'ATLETICO MADRID

Diego Simeone ha convocato 22 giocatori per la trasferta di San Siro. Il tecnico argentino ha recuperato il difensore Gabriel Paulista e l'attaccante Alvaro Morata, che figurano nella lista dei giocatori che saranno a disposizione per il match di Champions League.

Portieri: Moldovan, Oblak, Gomis. Difensori: Gimenez, Gabriel Paulista, Savic, Molina, Hermoso, Reinildo. Centrocampisti: De Paul, Koke, Saul, Lino, Llorente, Riquelme, Vermeeren, Witsel, Barrios. Attaccanti: Griezman, Depay, Correa, Morata.

PREVIOUS MATCHES

There is only one official match between Atletico Madrid and Inter, dating back to the summer of 2010, and it isn't a pleasant memory for the Nerazzurri. It was the 2010 UEFA Super Cup, held on August 27th at the Louis II Stadium in Monte Carlo. On that night, the Spanish side (with goals from Reyes and Aguero) secured a 2-0 victory, lifting the European trophy, in a disappointing night for Inter (with De Gea saving a penalty from Milito).

Inter comes into the Champions League tie on the back of a positive streak, having lost only one of their last 13 matches in the competition: last season's final against Manchester City. The Nerazzurri have kept a clean sheet in 62% of their matches during this period, conceding just nine goals. They secured qualification to the Round of 16 by finishing second in Group D. Simone Inzaghi's team accumulated 12 points, with three wins and three draws, scoring 8 goals and conceding 5. Lautaro Martinez and Alexis Sanchez, with two goals each, are Inter's top scorers in this competition.

Real Sociedad 1-1 INTER

INTER 1-0 Benfica

INTER 2-1 Salzburg

Salzburg 0-1 INTER

Benfica 3-3 INTER

INTER 0-0 Real Sociedad

Inter comes into the Champions League tie on the back of a positive streak, having lost only one of their last 13 matches in the competition: last season's final against Manchester City. The Nerazzurri have kept a clean sheet in 62% of their matches during this period, conceding just nine goals. They secured qualification to the Round of 16 by finishing second in Group D. Simone Inzaghi's team accumulated 12 points, with three wins and three draws, scoring 8 goals and conceding 5. Lautaro Martinez and Alexis Sanchez, with two goals each, are Inter's top scorers in this competition.

Real Sociedad 1-1 INTER

INTER 1-0 Benfica

INTER 2-1 Salzburg

Salzburg 0-1 INTER

Benfica 3-3 INTER

INTER 0-0 Real Sociedad

ATLETICO MADRID'S UCL JOURNEY

Atletico Madrid qualified for the Champions League Round of 16 by finishing first in Group E ahead of Lazio, Feyenoord, and Celtic. Simeone's team collected 14 points, with 4 wins and 2 draws, scoring 17 goals and conceding 6. Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann currently lead the scoring charts in the competition with 5 goals each.

Lazio 1-1 Atletico

Atletico 3-2 Feyenoord

Celtic 2-2 Atletico

Atletico 6-0 Celtic

Feyenoord 1-3 Atletico

Atletico 2-0 Lazio

THE COACH | DIEGO SIMEONE

Diego Simeone's career speaks volumes, characterized by tenacity, determination, and charisma. As a player, he was one of the most important midfielders of the 90s and 2000s in Italian football and beyond, representing Inter for two seasons, amassing 85 appearances and contributing 14 goals, including to the conquest of the 1998 UEFA Cup. As a coach, he continues to be synonymous with Atletico Madrid, where he has been at the helm for 13 seasons, holding the record for the most appearances as manager. Before coaching the Colchoneros, he began his career in Argentina, leading Racing Club, Estudiantes, River Plate, and San Lorenzo, winning two league titles. In January 2011, he took on the role of managing Catania, securing their survival with a 13th-place finish. The following season, he returned to Argentina to coach Racing once again. This was his final experience before landing in Madrid with Atletico. His journey with the Colchoneros began in December 2011, and to date, he has won two league titles, one Copa del Rey, one Copa del Rey, one Spanish Super Cup, two UEFA Europa Leagues, and two UEFA Super Cups.

ROUND OF 16 FIRST LEG - THE SCHEDULE

Copenhagen 1-3 Manchester City

Leipzig 0-1 Real Madrid

PSG 2-0 Real Sociedad

Lazio 1-0 Bayern Munich

Tuesday, 20 February at 21:00 CET INTER v Atletico Madrid

PSV-Borussia Dortmund

Wednesday, 21 February at 21:00 CET Porto v Arsenal Napoli v Barcelona

REFEREE

The match referee will be the Romanian István Kovács, assisted by Vasile Florin Marinescu and Ovidiu Artene. The fourth official designated is Horațiu Feșnic. The VAR officials are Marco Fritz and Cătălin Popa.