Revealed: Inter friendly against Atletico Madrid originally scheduled against Barcelona

Originally posted on Football Italia | By Sam Wilson | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 9:25 AM ET

Inter’s upcoming friendly against Atletico Madrid on October 10 in Libya was reportedly initially scheduled to take place against Barcelona, according to L’Interista.

The Nerazzurri were first expected to face Yamal and company in what would have been a glamorous ‘rewind’ of last season’s Champions League semi-final. However, the fixture was later changed, and the reasons behind the switch remain unclear.

Instead of Barcelona, Inter face friendly against Atletico

L’Interista note, via TuttoMercatoWeb, that whilst there’s no official explanation for why the Barcelona match was scrapped, the friendly with Atletico Madrid still promises to be an interesting test – even with several international players missing due to national team duty.

The game will serve as a useful tune-up before the Nerazzurri’s tough post-break fixtures against Roma and Napoli, two away matches that promise to challenge Cristian Chivu’s side.

Even so, the meeting with Atletico could act as a preview of a clash in this season’s Champions League, scheduled for November, adding an extra layer of intrigue to an otherwise routine friendly.

This article first appeared on Football Italia and was syndicated with permission.

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