Malaga arrived in Barcelona three days before the game.
They were graciously hosted by Barcelona's bitter rivals, Espanyol.
To be honest, the relationship between Espanyol and Malaga is not a good one.
But the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
To say that I least want to see Barcelona advance to the finals.
Except for the party in Malaga.
I'm afraid it's Real Madrid and Espanyol.
They are mortal enemies after all.
The Champions League match between Malaga and Barcelona was held on April 25.
Another match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid was held on April 26.
So in fact, the question of what schedule Real Madrid operates before the game is really just "If I don't take advantage, I will suffer a loss."
Malaga finished their match against Real Madrid and had only three days to rest.
One day less than both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Before the game, some media pointed out that this may be the root cause of Malaga's elimination.
Compared with two consecutive fierce battles in Malaga.
Barcelona's opponent in the 33rd round of the league is Racing Santander, who has nothing to gain this season.
So they made a big rotation in this round of the league.
This can ensure that all their players have sufficient physical fitness to cope with the second round of the semi-finals.
Barcelona is sitting at home, waiting for work.
Malaga is having a series of fierce battles and there is no room for rotation at all.
In the pre-game preview.
Media from all countries think so.
Barcelona, which is sitting at home and waiting for work, has a greater chance of advancing. Of course, this is also a test for Malaga.
They have now passed the first hurdle - beating Real Madrid.
If they can knock out Barcelona and reach the Champions League final.
That would be a huge boost to Malaga's morale, and it would also be of considerable benefit to their competition in the league.
After all, for Málaga.
They and Barcelona still have a key battle to play: a direct dialogue between the two sides in the 37th round of the league.
This game is the one that may directly determine the championship! !
Of course.
before this.
Neither side has focused on that game yet.
For Pellegrini.
There is no giving up in the Champions League semi-finals. He must send out his strongest lineup and strive to eliminate his opponents.
But let's be honest.
How to beat Barcelona is a head-scratching question for every head coach.
In the first round of the match between the two sides, Malaga was actually quite dangerous. If Yello hadn't broken through and caused Mascherano to be sent off with a red card for a foul, it would have been really hard to predict what the outcome of this game would have been.
Now the information about the opponent is also true and false.
The first thing that is certain is that Mascherano will definitely not be able to play.
Before the war, there were media reports in Catalonia.
Xavi was injured in training and may miss this game. Another player suspected of being injured is Puyol. He was substituted midway through the league and limped when he walked out of the field. I wonder if this is a smoke bomb released by Barcelona.
As for Malaga.
Isco will definitely not be able to play - he will need to rest for at least two weeks.
Fortunately, the other players are not a big problem.
So for Pellegrini.
Of course he hopes that Xavi and Puyol will not be able to play in this game.
Although Barcelona has Cesc Fabregas in the midfield who can replace Xavi, there are also Fontas and Abidal on the back line who can substitute as central defenders.
But Fabregas obviously cannot completely replace Xavi's role.
Neither Fontas nor Abidal can compare with Puyol and Mascherano at the center back position.
So if Xavi and Puyol are really injured, it will be really good news for Malaga.
However, Pellegrini cannot guarantee that this is not a smoke bomb released by Barcelona.
Therefore, he still has to be prepared that all Barcelona's main players can play.
In the case of Isco's injury.
Pellegrini decided to implement a defensive counterattack strategy at Camp Nou.
After all, the total score is now two to one, Barcelona is lagging behind, and they should be anxious.
Leave Ye Luo alone in the frontcourt, then station troops in the backcourt, and look for Ye Luo when the ball is available.
Give full play to Ye Luo's personal abilities!
Anyway, whether it is a high-altitude ball or a ground ball, Yeluo can be used as a very reliable frontcourt ball-holding point and offensive point. He can be a bridgehead, a battering ram, and even a sharp blade!
In this way, as long as Malaga does not concede a goal in the first half, Malaga's chances of advancing to the final will be greatly increased.
therefore.
In the past few days, Malaga has been training mainly on defense, and the offense mainly practiced some counterattack routines. In this game, Malaga had to station troops in the midfield, so Ruud van Nistelrooy and Baptista were both on the bench. , the counterattack relies on Ye Luo and Joaquín and Cazorla who come forward to push.
On the afternoon of April 25, the entire Málaga team boarded the bus and headed to the Camp Nou.
At this moment.
The atmosphere in the Champions League semi-finals is already very intense.
The Champions League and the flags of both teams were hung on lampposts on both sides of the road leading to the stadium.
On the road, you can see Barcelona fans wearing red and blue jerseys walking from everywhere, forming a huge flow of people.
Many of them are organized fan groups.
These are the main contributors to the stadium atmosphere.
They sang songs in unison and walked to the court together.
Seeing these crowds, a player on the bus said: "It is estimated that the entire Barcelona is our enemy now."
Yelo said: "Our opponents are just Barcelona players on the court. The most they can do is make some noise."
"I don't believe they can rush down from the stands to help Barcelona players kick the ball into the goal."
The players laughed when they heard this.
The tense atmosphere became slightly livelier.
But when the players actually came to Camp Nou.
They just know.
This was definitely not noise. The terrifying noise caused by more than 90,000 fans shook the stadium, and many players felt that their chests were being shaken.
This kind of pressure is not something ordinary people can bear.
But for the Malaga players.
The temptation to reach the Champions League final is too great, too great!
Yes, we are just a small team!
But we also have huge dreams!
Who else stipulates it?
Which wealthy teams can only win the Champions League?
Princes, generals and prime ministers, would you rather have the seed?
Barcelona must be ready to attack aggressively at home.
Malaga's defensive counterattack was actually expected by Guardiola.
He didn't dare to expect Malaga to come out and attack Barcelona in this stadium.
Because Malaga's defense is actually not very good, they arranged a 451 formation for this game. When the starting list came out, Guardiola knew Malaga's strategy for this game.
So far this season, there are no secrets for both sides.
Pellegrini also knew before the game that Xavi and Puyol were both starting - and sure enough, the so-called injuries were just smoke bombs.
After the start of the game, Barcelona did not attack too hard, because everyone knows how strong Yello's personal ability is. Once he gets a chance to score a goal, Barcelona will be in real trouble.
So in the first half, Barcelona was not in a hurry. Anyway, they only needed one goal to eliminate Malaga with the advantage of away goals.
Now both teams have their own concerns and are competing for each other's patience.
Málaga did not fall for Barcelona's seduction in the backcourt, and they were very calm.
Isn't it better than patience?
If the situation of the game does not change, Barcelona will be anxious after all!
In fact, this situation is what Pellegrini wants to see.
Because in such a gentle situation, the team's defensive pressure is small and the possibility of conceding the ball is also small.
He can accept zero-nil - if the first half ends with zero-nil, it will also be beneficial to Malaga.
so.
In the first half of the game, both sides had a tacit understanding and did not attack aggressively. The two teams played a first half that made many fans sleepy.
"Both sides suppressed their desire to attack in the first half. This may be related to the importance of this game. Both sides played very conservatively, which made the first half very boring. After all, it is related to who can enter the Champions League. In the final match, neither side wanted to reveal their trump card first. This is understandable, but this was not very friendly to the fans of the Dragon Kingdom who got up in the middle of the night to watch the game. To be honest, I was a little bit confused after watching this game. Sleepy."
Duan Xuan complained when the whistle sounded at the end of the first half.
In the media box.
Many reporters even yawned.
"so boring."
"Barcelona shouldn't be like this. The time in the first half was wasted. They are lagging behind."
"Indeed"
Actually.
Guardiola also noticed that Malaga really came to this game with the intention of killing time with Barcelona.
Now there are only forty-five minutes left in the game. In the second half, Barcelona doesn't have much retreat. They have to attack.
Pellegrini also knew this, so he emphasized to the players during the halftime break that they should pay attention to Barcelona's offensive attack in the second half.
"There are only forty-five minutes left. Boys, you performed very well in the first half. We did not concede a goal, which kept the initiative on our side. However, it was not so easy in the second half. In the second half, they were definitely We will attack vigorously, and our defense will be under much greater pressure than in the first half!”
Pellegrini's face was solemn.
This made the Malaga players look serious.
Everyone knows the seriousness of the problem.
Before everyone was about to return to the court, Yello, as the captain, stood up and said: "Brothers, Barcelona thinks that it only takes one goal to kill us! But don't forget, we only need one goal." Just one goal and they will fall into the abyss!! Remember, we only need one goal! It only takes one goal to defeat them!"
Yello's words immediately boosted the confidence of the Malaga players.
Yes.
All it takes is a ball!
Be it Barcelona.
Or Malaga.
(End of chapter)
