Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid side host Italian giants Inter this week in the UEFA Champions League group stages. Both teams have struggled in their groups, with Madrid picking up only one point, and Inter only two points. This match will be an extremely interesting tactical battle between both sides, who have similar deficiencies and strengths in their teams.
Antonio Conte’s side are currently sitting in fifth in Serie A, however, the number of goals that his side have conceded since the start of the season will be seriously worrying for him coming up against a very potent Real Madrid forward line. They have conceded 12 goals already since the beginning of the campaign in all competitions.
Real Madrid have not covered themselves in glory either with their defensive record this season, having conceded 10 goals despite sitting top of the league once more. Both sides need to start picking up points, and a win in this game for either will be absolutely crucial to the outcome of the group standings come December.
This tactical analysis article will be an analysis of the tactics that both sides will look to use against one another in the upcoming tie. We will be analysing how each team will set up offensively as well as defensively, and how they can exploit each other’s weaknesses.
Lineups and formations
It is quite uncertain as of yet exactly what starting lineup each manager is going to put out for this matchup. The starting teams for each side have fluctuated and have been rotated constantly due to the flurry of games in quick succession ever since the 2020/21 season began.
For Inter, they will of course use a back three formation. Conte generally switches between a 3-4-1-2 and a 3-5-2 depending on the opposition. Generally, the 3-5-2 is utilised by the Italian giants against tougher opponents so one would expect this to be the choice of formation ahead of this crucial Champions League tie.
In the previous Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk, in which the game finished 0-0, this was the starting lineup for Inter, with Ashley Young at left wing-back, and Alessandro Bastoni being the only exceptions.
This is arguably their strongest starting eleven with two make-shift centre-backs flanking the central centre-back Stefan de Vrij. In the past two Serie A games, Andrea Ranocchia played at the back instead of Danilo D’Ambrosio, so this is also another option for the Italian manager.
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