Two European heavyweights, Inter Milan and Atlético Madrid, will meet in the round of 16 of the Champions League. In the spotlight: Atlético coach Diego Simeone.
Diego Simeone is happy. “I have wonderful memories of my time in Milan”says the coach of Atlético Madrid before the first leg of the round of 16 in the Champions League on Tuesday (from 9 p.m. in the live ticker at sportschau.de) at Inter Milan. As a player of “Nerazzurri” he won the UEFA Cup in 1997/98. He will also play his 100th Champions League game as a coach at the venerable San Siro stadium. He will be only the ninth coach to achieve this.
Inzaghi: “Two extremely close and tough games”
The respect for the impulsive Argentine is naturally great at Inter. In front of his team too. “Atlético have reached the final of the Champions League twice in the last ten years and can look back on a wealth of European Cup experience. These will be two extremely close and tough games.”says Inter coach Simone Inzaghi.
Successful on the Inter coaching bench: Simone Inzaghi
He’s probably right there. The Spaniards, who finished fourth in the domestic La Liga and lost touch with the top, are known for achieving success in knockout duels in the Champions League with minimal effort. The “mattress makers” are happy with a draw, especially away from home.
Inter on the way to the title
They could probably do that in Milan too. Because Inter goes into the meeting between the two European heavyweights as favorites. Inzaghi’s team is pretty lonely in the domestic Serie A. The cushion over second-placed Juventus Turin is already nine points thick, and Inter has even played a game less than their rivals. Above all, the additions work – especially the two former Mönchengladbach players Yann Sommer and Marcus Thuram.
Top transfer from the Bundesliga: Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan)
“It will be very difficult. Inter are in excellent form at the moment. I like their style. Last year they reached the final of the Champions League.”says Diego Simeone appreciatively.
Both teams recently had big wins
Otherwise, not much separates Inter and Atlético. Both teams survived the group stage of the Champions League undefeated, although the Italians only finished second in their group behind Real Sociedad San Sebastian.
And the dress rehearsals for the first round of 16 duel were similar. Inter stepped up and celebrated a 4-0 win against Serie A bottom team US Salernitana, while Atlético responded with a 5-0 win against UD Las Palmas.