While most of the world will be preoccupied with the Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal matchup, the remainder of the soccer viewers will be engaged with a round of 16 tie between Atletico Madrid and AC Milan.
In the past one would expect AC Milan to be the runaway favorite in the tie, but the historic side has fallen on hard times and is expected to lose this match against a Diego Simeone team that is on the rise. How do these teams matchup?
AC Milan
Milan has struggled in the Serie A with only eight wins, eight draws and eight losses in 24 Italian league games this year. The team’s poor form will likely leave it out of the tournament next season despite possessing such talent as Mario Balotelli and Kaka.
Kaka has shown some terrific flashes of form in this tournament, particularly in a game against Barcelona earlier in the season. Balotelli leads the team with 10 goals and recently stated that he was committed to leading this team to victory even if he had to play in goal. However, the team has too many holes in the midfield and defense to be a major threat.
Of course, one must remember that Milan managed to stun Barcelona 2-0 in the opening round of last year’s round of 16; that win foreshadowed the Spanish side’s eventual demise in the tournament.
Atletico Madrid
Simeone’s side is still tied for the lead in the Spanish League and looks very capable of winning the trophy. Simeone’s side relies on the speed and strength of Diego Costa to score big goals but has Koke and Raul Garcia leading a rather potent midfield. David Villa should be back and ready for the match and he alone can provide secondary offense when necessary. On defense Juanfran and goalie Thibaut Courtois are huge difference makers for Simeone’s side.
AC Milan Wins If…
Balotelli manages to impose himself in Atletico’s end and scores a few goals. Kaka will also need to pull some strings to get his team on the right path. More importantly, Milan must stop Madrid from scoring. One road goal for the Spanish side could be enough to sink the Italian contingent.
Atletico Wins If…
It shuts down Balotelli and plays to its strengths. This team is fast and has enough physical presence to outmatch the Italian side. Atletico should dominate possession and that alone will make all the difference.
Key Player of the Match: His name has already cropped up a number of times in this piece but his importance cannot be stressed enough: Mario Balotelli. The Italian forward is capable of making something out of nothing once he gets the ball near the box.
Of course, he is also a player that could hurt his team if Madrid manages to rile him up. Balotelli is known for his lack of discipline and often earns unnecessary cards. If Madrid can get him to make a poor decision than it could alter the entire complexion of the matchup.
The game can be streamed live on Fox Soccer 2 Go.
Kickoff gets underway at 2:45 p.m. EST.
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