Inter, with first-leg advantage, face Atletico…
Spain's Atletico Madrid will be hoping to get back their top scorer Frenchman Antoine Griezmann today (Wednesday) as they try to overturn a 1-1 loss against Inter Milan in the second leg of their Champions League final, while the clash with Germany remains wide open. Borussia Dortmund and their Dutch guests, PSV Eindhoven, drew 1-1 in the first leg.
At his “Metropolitano” stadium, Argentine Diego Simeone, coach of Atletico Madrid, will be hoping to make up for the first leg defeat in Milan. Finished fourth in the Spanish league and early exit from the Spanish King's Cup.
The return of 32-year-old Griezmann, who suffered an ankle injury in the first leg at the San Siro on February 20, is crucial for Atletico, especially as the French striker has scored 18 goals in 36 matches across various competitions. the season
Griezmann missed four matches, of which Atletico won just once, but he returned to training and local newspapers tipped him to play the second leg.
Overcoming a first-leg defeat courtesy of a goal from Austria's Marko Arnautovic won't be easy against Inter, who are 16 points behind their nearest rival in the Italian league.
Inter, last season's European runners-up led by lethal Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez, will look to continue their journey to a fourth title and first since 2010, knowing they have won 13 games and failed to score once in 2024. 38 matches this season.
Atletico, on the other hand, are having a tough week as after the Inter match, they are expected to visit Barcelona on Sunday in the local league, where they sit fourth, just two points behind their chasers Athletic Bilbao. Eliminated it from the Kings Cup competition.
Despite a strong start, Atletico remain 14 points off their arch-neighbors league leaders Real Madrid, preparing to face Inter with a shock defeat at Cadiz after winning twice in their last nine matches in various competitions. with a 0-2 draw on Saturday.
Despite the defeat, coach Simeone supported his players: “I feel that the team gave everything, I did not find solutions.”
Simeone, who carried Inter's colors as a prolific midfielder between 1997 and 1999, winning the European Cup (now the Europa League) with them in 1998, continued: “I will go to death with the players because I know them. Potentially. “That they can do a lot of great things. I know, I will continue to work for them.”
While he led Atlético to all domestic titles, Simeone lost twice in the Champions League final against neighbors and rivals Real (2014 and 2016). With his lack of leadership in the Spanish league, continental success became his main goal.
Simeone, who has coached Atletico since 2011, will be reunited with Inter coach Simone Inzaghi, who played alongside him at Italian side Lazio between 1999 and 2003. Inzaghi was keen to stress to his players the need not to rely on the result of the first leg, warning of the danger Atletico did at home.
Boosting Atletico's chances of overturning its deficit against Inter is its impressive record at the Metropolitano Stadium this season, where it has won 18 times in 20 matches and lost only to Bilbao in the cup.
The stands are expected to be filled with seventy thousand spectators, fans of the second Madrid pole, devoted to their team.
With the exception of Belgian Axel Witsel, there are doubts over the status of Atletico's defenders. Veteran Brazilian rookie Gabriel Paulista made mistakes against Cádiz, while Mozambican full-back Reinaldo Mandava did not regain his form after returning from injury.
“We have to reset things,” Witzel said after Saturday's embarrassing defeat in the league. No room for talk, instead focus on knowledge and play well against Inter.
As for Inzaghi, after Inter imposed their control at the top of the league with a 1-0 win over hosts Bologna on Saturday, they moved 16 points clear of their second-placed neighbors Milan. Inzaghi said: “We are making good progress in the league and we want to maintain a comfortable gap with our followers. We have a very tough clash in the Champions League and we want to continue to improve as we did last season.”
In the second match, Borussia Dortmund's German coach, Edin Terzic, realized that his job could be at stake against their Dutch hosts, PSV Eindhoven, after the first leg ended in a 1-1 draw.
Despite Dortmund's assured rise in level by winning the German Cup in 2021, which took the team close to the league title last season on goal difference against Bayern, in their best run since the Jurgen Klopp era, Terjic, a boyhood lover of the yellow club, has endured a tumultuous season and threatened to… come out empty-handed. is coming
An exit against PSV Eindhoven outside the five major competitions would mean a loss for Tercic with the 1997 European champions, who have always enjoyed a continental run, having finished as runners-up in 2013.
After Saturday's 2-1 win over Werder Bremen, when he finished the half with ten men, his sporting director Sebastian Gell admitted the pain, saying the team is progressing at the right time, “We know we have to qualify to win. “I see that we can win against a strong PSV Eindhoven, especially at home.”
Dortmund will be looking for more from Englishman Jadon Sancho, who scored against Bremen on Saturday, after returning to Germany on loan following his tumultuous spell with Manchester United.
Sancho said: “The last time I was in this position, I scored or assisted in every match. “I understand that the fans want more from me.”
PSV Eindhoven, on the other hand, are led by Peter Bosch, who was sacked by Dortmund after a disappointing campaign that lasted just a few months in 2017. Basch had to make up for his humiliating exit from Dortmund, which brought him a record fee. $5.4 million from Ajax Amsterdam in the Bundesliga. PSV Eindhoven will be looking to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since the 2007 season, which won the title in 1988 under exceptional coach Guus Hiddink.
PSV Eindhoven are unbeaten in 25 games in the local league this season as they move 10 points clear of Feyenoord Rotterdam thanks to veteran Luuk de Jong's 31 goals in 38 matches.
English champions Manchester City, 14-time (achievement) crowned Spanish club Real Madrid, German club Bayern Munich and French club Paris Saint-Germain advanced to the quarter-finals.
