I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 855: Chapter 79: War Begins, The Final Gamble!

Camp Nou, Barcelona fans had been prepared early, and when Real Madrid fans entered the stadium, the Barcelona supporters collectively sang out: ”Why, why, why!”

It wasn’t that they truly had doubts but rather wanted to use this method to mock Real Madrid’s coach Mourinho and express their dissatisfaction with his recent comments.

During the handshake and hug phase between the two teams, Barcelona fans sang even louder from the stands: ”We will go to the finals, this is football, we will win, this is football!”

At Barcelona’s home stadium, their momentum was astounding, and on the stands, Florentino’s expression was very grim. The Real Madrid executives present were evidently worried about what they were witnessing.

”Damn it.” Marcelo murmured under his breath, kicking the grass beneath his feet, and looking at Chen Zhong, he said, ”Just like we did at the Bernabeu, they’ve made the choice that’s best for them.”

”It’s fine,” Chen Zhong reassured with a single sentence, ”this is normal.”

This match was not friendly to Real Madrid. Firstly, coach Mourinho couldn’t be present to command the game; secondly, many players from the team were unable to appear at Camp Nou due to suspensions or injuries; lastly, being the away team meant they didn’t hold any advantage.

The only relatively good thing is that the weather is gloomy, seemingly about to rain!

If it rains, Barcelona’s ball control would undoubtedly be affected somewhat, which might be the only good news for Real Madrid.

”CCTV, CCTV.”

”It’s now 2:45 on May 4th in Beijing time, and 20:45 on the 3rd local time in Spain.”

”The focus battle of the second leg of the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League semi-finals is being contested at Camp Nou.”

”Barcelona tied 1-1 with Real Madrid in the last game and holds an advantage with an away goal. This is also the final encounter in the four duels over 18 days.”

”In the previous 241 classic duels, Barcelona slightly leads with 101 wins, 51 draws, and 89 losses.”

”Real Madrid, having won the title 9 times, has reached the semi-finals 21 times and advanced to the final 12 times previously.”

”Barcelona, having won the title three times, has previously reached the semi-finals 11 times and eliminated their opponents 5 times.”

”Real Madrid has won twice at Barcelona in Champions League away matches; the only time Barcelona beat Real Madrid in a European home game was in the first round of the Champions Cup in 1960.”

”The many controversies surrounding the first leg of the Champions League remain widely discussed in the past week.”

”Iniesta had a timely recovery for this game, while Real Madrid’s star players Pepe and Ramos would miss out due to suspensions. Cavaleiro returns from suspension, with Kaka and Higuain starting to bolster the attack. Meanwhile, Mourinho, penalized by the referee in the first leg, is also banned.”

”Let’s take a look at the starting lineups of both sides!”

Barcelona lineup (4-3-3):

Pedro, Messi, Villa

Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta

Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Puyol

Valdes

Real Madrid lineup (4-2-3-1):

Higuain

Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Di Maria

Chen Zhong, Alonso

Marcelo, Albiol, Cavaleiro, Alvaro

Casillas

Barcelona practically has all their key players on the field. The most concerning pre-match uncertainty was Iniesta, who made a timely return, and Guardiola could actively direct from the sidelines.

However, Ramos, Pepe, and other players from Real Madrid are suspended while coach Mourinho can’t be found in the coaching area or even at Camp Nou.

Among the players, the most threatening Chen Zhong has moved to a defensive midfielder position.

In this match, Real Madrid not only needs to find goals or even the win, but also has to guard against Messi, with Chen Zhong taking on the role Pepe would play, which is to keep Messi in check.

Indeed, the lineup Real Madrid employs here is evidently the result of deep consideration.

Alonso and Chen Zhong both have strong long pass abilities and shooting skills, while the four attackers in the front possess speed and impact, and Mourinho had planned thoroughly pre-match: to break through Barcelona fiercely while maintaining defense.

At the hotel at this moment, Mourinho wasn’t watching TV but looked up at the sky over Barcelona until raindrops started falling, and his face finally broke into a smile.

”It’s raining!”

”It’s raining, indeed!”

Mourinho’s eyes flashed with delight; the rainy condition is undoubtedly a negative buff for Barcelona, which Mourinho hoped to see.

At the same time, inside the stadium, Guardiola also felt the rain falling and a hint of concern flashed in his eyes as he murmured, ”Hope this damn rain doesn’t get too heavy!”

However, the power of nature isn’t something mere mortals can control.

Within minutes of the game starting, the rain intensified dramatically.

”It’s raining!”

”At Camp Nou.”

”We can clearly see torrential rain pouring from the sky.”

”This is not good news for Barcelona.”

Camp Nou was enveloped in torrential rainfall as Real Madrid and Barcelona kicked off this much-anticipated showdown amidst the downpour.

The splashing water on the pitch made the fierce tackles seem more dangerous and exciting, and neither team’s players shied away due to the rain; instead, their intensity heightened from the rainfall.