Welcome to another exciting week of action from UEFA’s three club football competitions. We begin on Tuesday and Wednesday with the Champions League, and there are some mouth-watering ties in the programme. Thursday heralds the second legs of the Europa League Round of 16 ties, including an eye-catching match in Glasgow, which pairs Rangers and Benfica in a shootout for the quarter-finals.
The match that captured the attention of our content team and football writers comes from the Spanish capital, where Atletico Madrid hosts Inter Milan in a Round of 16 decider. The aggregate score is locked at 1-0 in the Serie A team’s favour, but there’s still plenty to play for here, and Madrid will believe they can make home advantage count. Will the locals swing things in their favour, or can we expect to see Inter Milan protect their slender one-goal lead and progress to the next round?
Madrid remain competitive
When Atletico Madrid visited Inter Milan last for the first leg, they had one plan: to ensure the tie remained alive heading into the return leg in Spain. A win would put them in the driving seat, but few teams leave Milan with a victory. A draw would’ve been a favourable result, but Atletico Madrid ended up with a 1-0 defeat. A loss is never a good thing, especially for clubs of Madrid’s calibre, but they must remain patient.
Will Atletico use their home advantage to cover that one-goal deficit before progressing to win the game and secure a place in the next round? They warmed up for this challenge with a shock 2-0 defeat away to Cadiz on Saturday, a result that caught many off-guard and rattled Madrid ahead of a potentially season-defining game. Much better is needed from Atletico to avoid them being eliminated from the Champions League.
Milan holds an advantage
Inter Milan arrives in Madrid looking to protect a slender aggregate advantage following that hard-fought and impressive 1-0 win achieved in the first leg. Milan is a notoriously difficult place to visit, and Inter planned to get their noses in front by winning the game and keeping a clean sheet. They achieved both thanks to a goal scored by Arnautovic in 79 minutes and some organised defending, the kind we’d expect from Italian clubs in Europe.
Bet hereWhile their opponents were stumbling to a painful La Liga defeat on Saturday, Inter Milan sharpened its tools ahead of this fight with a battling 1-0 away win over Bologna on Saturday. It was a game Milan was expected to win and deserve credit for getting the job done. Bisseck notched what proved to be the winner in 37 minutes, and the Milan backline protected that advantage. Will they do the same in Madrid?
Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan prediction
Atletico Madrid holds the home advantage but must try to reverse a 1-0 defeat suffered in Italy last month. The tie remains live, and there’s no reason why Atletico can’t win at home and score the goals needed to progress. Madrid doesn’t need to go all-out attack from the first whistle, but a time will come in the game when the locals must throw caution to the wind and attack their opponents.
Inter Milan did what was expected at home in the first leg, scoring a goal and staying organised in defence. We were particularly impressed by the backline, who handled everything Madrid threw at them and must do the same again. If Atletico is solid at the back, they have the chance to progress and keep their Champions League dreams alive, moving into the quarter-finals.
Champions League odds
22Bet members can access pre-match and in-play betting odds on all of this week’s Champions League fixtures. But which team will win in Madrid? You can have your say now using the 22Bet website or mobile site. Atletico Madrid is 2.94 for the victory, or you can try your luck on Inter Milan at 2.55. A draw will net backers 3.28.
In addition to the match-winner betting market available at 22Bet, customers can also gamble on a long list of specials. There are both teams to score, handicap, first goalscorer, and more. Bet pre-match or in-play on the Champions League at 22Bet.
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