I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 434: Chapter 68: Debut! The Backbone!

Today, we are all Sevilla fans!

Besides the true fans of Sevilla, the people most concerned about this match are the Barcelona supporters.

If Real Madrid wins every match in the league from now on, without giving Barcelona any chance, then by winning against today’s league opponent in the King’s Cup, Real Madrid can at least secure a ”double crown.”

Meanwhile, some Barcelona fans couldn’t help but mock Real Madrid’s good fortune when they saw the Champions League draw!

So good that it makes these Barcelona fans tremble with jealousy!

”Is there any shady business in this?”

”After defeating Lyon, they either face Bordeaux or Olympiacos.”

At this moment, Barcelona fans are not gloating over Real Madrid’s matchup against Lyon as they were before, because at that time they thought Lyon was Real Madrid’s nemesis.

Keep in mind, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Lyon have played significant roles in earning Real Madrid the name of ”Champions League Sixteenth Finalist.”

They always managed to precisely block Real Madrid from entering the Champions League quarter-finals, and Lyon has recently met Real Madrid three times, achieving one win and one draw, thus eliminating Real Madrid.

That’s why Barcelona fans were so expectant before, but now...

Well! The nemesis got beaten.

This is too much for Barcelona fans to handle!

Now, Real Madrid is progressing on three fronts, having already reached the final in the King’s Cup, advancing smoothly in the Champions League, and only the league match against Sevilla makes them somewhat expectant.

In this match, Pellegrini made some adjustments to the team, considering that the second leg against Lyon was merely three days after playing Sevilla.

Although winning the first leg against Lyon 2:1 with two away goals, the hype in the media has made Pellegrini somewhat anxious.

In this match, Pellegrini slightly adjusted the lineup, using Negredo and Benzema up front, selected Callejon and Granero for the wings, paired Parejo and Alonso in midfield, with Alvaro, Pepe, Albiol, and Ramos in defense.

The goalkeeper remains Casillas.

Chen Zhong and Cristiano Ronaldo sat on the substitute bench, and Pellegrini privately discussed with them, arranging for them to come on around the 60th to 70th minute of the second half.

On one hand, to help them get into form, and on the other, if the match enters a stalemate, they could change the result.

At the same time, Kaka was also included in the match list. After three months of rest, Kaka’s body has recovered, but his form is still poor; if the team leads by a large margin, Pellegrini might let Kaka get a feel for the game.

Barcelona’s match starts about two hours earlier than Real Madrid’s.

They are playing away against Almeria in this match, with nobody expecting them to lose.

Fans throughout Madrid are listening to the radio broadcasts of the Barcelona match in their cars while heading to the stadium.

Outside the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, there are already Merengues holding their breath, and whenever Almeria scores, cheers erupt in every corner of the streets of Chamartin, the roads, and outside the Bernabeu stadium.

The first-half score between Barcelona and Almeria is tied at 1:1, and no one can be sure if they’ll maintain this score till the end.

Everyone is entering orderly, as just like Barcelona fans pay attention to Real Madrid’s matches, they will also focus on Barcelona’s match.

The lineup for the Real Madrid vs. Sevilla match has been announced.

The pre-game singing and dancing performance has also started.

Even during the customary singing, the fans are somewhat absent-minded.

The broadcaster live streaming the match started introducing the Barcelona vs. Almeria match, completely ignoring the Real Madrid vs. Sevilla game.

”This round of matches may very well be the watershed moment of the league.”

”If Barcelona ultimately fails to win the league title, then the match against Almeria is definitely crucial.”

”And the team’s captain Puyol will surely regret painfully, because both concessions in this match are directly connected to him.”

”The current score is 2:2.”

”If Almeria holds on for the last few minutes, the three points Barcelona had in hand will turn into 1 point.”

”Due to Pique’s accumulated yellow cards suspension, Guardiola had no choice but to use a substitute defender, but who would have thought that the substitute defender Gabriel Milito performed outstandingly, while Puyol, who just returned from the national team, performed below expectations!”

”One marking mistake, one own goal clearing, even the team captain Puyol will be criticized by fans after the match.”

”Of course, Ibrahimovic, who received a red card in this match, will certainly face media scrutiny post-match.”

Puyol’s abnormal performance in this match has a continuity to it, judging from current stats, Puyol has zero successful tackles and interceptions in this match, and only entered the front twice for passing and receiving.