The Champions League knockout stage was about to be reignited. The weekend before that, the games between Real Madrid and Barcelona would start at the same time.
Both Real Madrid and Barcelona would play at home. The former would face Real Betis and the latter would usher in the derby against RCD Espanyol.
Real Madrid sent Huntelaar as a striker in the battle at the Bernabéu due to the game against Liverpool in the middle of next week. Van Der Vaart also waited for an opportunity after sitting on the bench for a long time.
Real Madrid defeated Real Betis to their heart's content at home. Qin Xiong performed an assist in the game and scored a goal. He restrained himself and created opportunities for his teammates who actively plugged in from behind.
At the moment Real Madrid's game ended, the Bernabéu erupted in deafening cheers!
Not only were they cheering for Real Madrid's victory, but they were also excited to celebrate their arch-rival Barcelona's loss at the Camp Nou!
Barcelona's winning streak against RCD Espanyol was ended by a brace from former player de la Pena!
1:2
De la Pena, who had not scored in the league for more than four years, performed the most shocking murder of his former boss!
The gap between Real Madrid and Barcelona suddenly increased from six points to three points!
At the post-match press conference at the Camp Nou, Guardiola felt tremendous pressure in the face of countless reporters present.
It was a humiliating defeat!
Because Barcelona's opponent was a derby opponent and RCD Espanyol was ranked last in the league!
RCD Espanyol's victory at the Camp Nou broke Barcelona's 27-year unbeaten record against RCD Espanyol at home!
Despite the enormous pressure, Guardiola was still calm and collected.
After the game, Guardiola said that from himself to the players, they were "deeply touched" by the result of the game, but at the same time he also said, "We will continue to move forward, there is no doubt about that."
Guardiola also emphasized that the loss of a game did not affect Barcelona's lead. He said, "No one said the game would be easy, but we are still in a good position. Tomorrow we will stand up again and respond to the people. We lost the unusual game, but we still maintain a good advantage. "
After losing the derby game, Guardiola also appeared more cautious.
"It's going to be tough to win the league. We have to keep winning and keep fighting until the end. So what if they lost? Now we will consider leaving Camp Nou and going to Madrid next week. In the end, the league title will still fall into our hands. "
Guardiola also talked about the situation on the pitch. He felt that the excessive interruption of the game caused the team to lose the rhythm they should have. Guardiola said, "This is a game that needs some rhythm. Because it was lost. We need rhythm, both teams need it, and when the game is full of fouls, it's hard to find rhythm. "
During the game, the conflict between the two teams continued. Keita was sent off at the 37th minute of the game, which became the focus of the discussion between the two teams after the game.
Guardiola believed that the decision "changed everything." "It's not my job to judge the referee. It's not our fault that we lost the game. The referee knows what he did. "
Barcelona's vice-captain, Xavi, directly pointed his finger at the referee. "The referee dominated the game. The RCD Espanyol player told him to show a red card to Keita, and he did it."
Xavi said, "We were forced to play 10 against 11 for more than an hour. The referee killed us and our football. "
President Laporta thought that the team should forget the loss as soon as possible. Laporta said, "We played a little impatiently, but we have to forget the result as soon as possible."
The situation in La Liga's championship suddenly changed, which excited the neutral fans. Real Madrid shortened the gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid to three points. One game!
In other words, if there was only one El Clásico left in the league tomorrow, Real Madrid only needed to beat Barcelona at the Bernabéu, then Real Madrid would successfully defend the La Liga title in a row!
The current situation was far better than before.
Real Madrid was encouraged. Barcelona's unexpected loss would be a stimulant for their Champions League campaign.
.....
Liverpool took a passenger plane from the United Kingdom to Madrid.
The Red Army generals sat in their seats calmly and rested. The atmosphere in the cabin was very quiet.
The manager, Benítez, sat in the back corner and was still working with his colleagues from the coaching staff.
As a master tactician, Benítez, who was good at observing the details of the game, did not lead the team to Real Madrid this time to bow down to them.
Liverpool was also stronger this year than last season!
First of all, last year's new players were further integrated into the team. Second, the team's technical and tactical play was strengthened and consolidated.
In the English Premier League, Liverpool was now ranked first and was expected to win the first league title in the English Premier League era. In terms of offensive firepower, Liverpool was also superior. At the same time, their defensive performance was on par with the best in the league, Manchester United and Chelsea. Overall, Liverpool had reached their strongest state in recent years and were also close to their own combat limit!
Benítez was mentally and physically exhausted to prepare for the two-round knockout game against Real Madrid. He repeatedly studied all the games played by Real Madrid since 2009.
These games were all won by Real Madrid in the league.
The reference value of analyzing the previous games was not great. The games of the past two months were the most valuable.
Benítez repeatedly analyzed the changes in the offensive and defensive situation in the game. In the past two months, Real Madrid's opponents were almost unable to restrain Real Madrid's offense.
Benítez found what he thought was a key issue in the process of repeatedly watching and thinking, and this discovery would be the starting point for his technical and tactical arrangements.
When the Liverpool team arrived in Madrid, Benítez was as low-key as ever, but he had a card up his sleeve.
Real Madrid, who seemed to have recovered their invincible state from last season, had exposed a great weakness in his eyes!
It was just that in the La Liga arena, most teams had fallen into a state of confusion due to long-term battles with Real Madrid!
During the preparation for the game, Benítez instilled his tactical ideas in the Red Army and asked the players to firmly implement them!
Liverpool had created difficulties for Real Madrid in the Champions League last season, but in the end, it was all for naught.
Meeting with Real Madrid for two seasons in a row, the coming battle of revenge belonged to the Red Army!
On February 25, the earth-shattering battle between Liverpool and Real Madrid was about to start!
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