da bet nacional： GOAL counts down the most passionate venues across the continent, taking both crowd noise and choreography into account…
da 888casino： Inter 'host' city rivals AC Milan in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, with another raucous atmosphere expected at San Siro. But which ground boasts the best atmosphere in European football?
It's a pretty subjective topic, obviously. Choosing between the continent's most intimidating venues certainly isn't easy. After all, what some stadiums lack in stature, they can make up for in noise. But there's no denying that some clubs boast that winning combination of deafening crowd noise and stunning choreography.
Below, GOAL attempts the difficult task of trying to rank the best atmospheres in Europe…
Getty15Waldstadion (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Eintracht Frankfurt's travelling fans have generated plenty of headlines in recent years, and not always for the right reasons. The way in which they managed to take over Camp Nou for last year's Europa League clash with Barcelona was mightily impressive, but the violent scenes we saw in Naples before this season's Champions League clash with Napoli were a disgrace.
However, there is no getting away from the fact that the atmosphere on matchdays at the Waldstadion is something special. Frankfurt's fans are also famous for some fantastic tifi.
AdvertisementGetty14Estadio Metropolitano (Atletico Madrid)
Atletico's old home the Vicente Calderon really was a cauldron of noise, and unlike some other clubs who have changed stadium, the Rojiblancos have managed to bring the noise of their dusty, earthy former ground to the shiny new Metropolitano. The ground, which Atletico moved into in 2017, has 68,000 seats and, unlike the Calderon, a roof to keep all the noise in.
Best of all, the stadium has its very own conductor in Diego Simeone, who is always there to remind every pair of lungs in the ground of their responsibility to keep the players motivated and intimidate the opposition.
13Toumba Stadium (PAOK Salonica)
Aerial footage looked like it was showing a war-zone. It was in fact a fireworks display to celebrate PAOK Salonica's first title in 34 years. The Greek side have some of the most fervent fans in football, so they were always going to put on a show after ending their title drought in 2019, but this was off the scale.
Their fans have a penchant for pyrotechnics, and caused shocking scenes last season at Marseille, when both sets of ultras were seen throwing fireworks at each other. God help visiting teams who have the misfortune to play away there!
12San Siro (AC Milan & Inter)
Let's face it, one of the main reasons the average football fan was so excited about the prospect of Milan meeting Inter in the Champions League semi-finals was the choreography. When it comes to tifi, the Derby della Madonnina is, and always has been, in a league of its own.
Down through the years, the game has inspired themes as diverse as Dante's Inferno and Nightmare on Elm Street. Last week's Devil display from Milan's supporters certainly didn't disappoint, and one can be sure that their Inter counterparts will have something just as spectacular in store for the second leg at San Siro.
The Giuseppe Meazza may be an ageing arena, but it is still known as 'La Scala del Calcio' for very good reason.