Midfielder Ruler

As Real Madrid and Barcelona prepared for the 29th round of El Clasico in La Liga in the 2013-2014 season, the 2013-2014 Champions League quarter-finals draw ceremony was held as scheduled at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Compared with the Champions League group stage and quarter-final draws, there are no avoidance rules for the quarter-final draws, which means that the three La Liga teams that advance to the quarter-finals of this season's Champions League are likely to have a civil war.

Among them, the most anticipated draw results are undoubtedly the El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona and the Madrid derby between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

Of course, these two games are the results that neutral fans most want to see.

At noon on March 21, local time in Europe, the 2013-2014 Champions League quarter-final draw was held in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw ceremony was still hosted by UEFA Secretary General Infantino, and this season’s Champions League final ambassador Figo Responsible for drawing lots.

The first team to be drawn out was Barcelona, ​​which immediately caused an uproar at the scene.

Immediately, the ambassador of the final drew out Atletico Madrid.

The faces of Barcelona officials and Atletico Madrid officials turned dark at the same time. Obviously, this draw was difficult for them to accept.

The same was true for the Atletico Madrid players and Barcelona players sitting in front of the TV, but some people were grateful that they did not draw Real Madrid, who was more difficult to deal with.

Tang Zheng, who was sitting in front of the TV watching the live broadcast of the draw, let out a sigh of relief. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid were drawn together, which also means that the pressure on the two teams in the Champions League will be increasing, and the attention of the league will decrease accordingly. The fierce battle in the Champions League quarter-finals will be the key point-scoring moment for Real Madrid in the league.

The draw ceremony continues. After all, it has become a fact that Barcelona has drawn Atletico Madrid. There are still six teams whose quarter-final draw opponents have not been settled and must be carried out according to the process.

Next, it was Real Madrid who breathed a sigh of relief.

Barcelona VS Atletico Madrid were drawn, and now Real Madrid is drawn, which means that the remaining five teams are all possible.

Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, no matter which team they face, it seems that they are not easy to play.

However, after entering the quarterfinals of the Champions League, it doesn’t matter which team you play, you have to work hard.

"Which team will be drawn?" Tang Zheng frowned, uncertain among the five teams that might be drawn.

In fact, it doesn't matter which team is drawn to Tang Zheng, but there is one team in his heart that he doesn't want to touch.

Yes, it's Dortmund.

During the short period of time when Tang Zheng was wandering around, Figo, the guest of the draw, had already taken out a small ball with the Champions League logo on it from the draw column.

He opened it with a meaningful expression, then turned over the white slip of paper with the team's name printed on it and presented it in front of the TV.

Central 5 commentator Duan Xuan's eyes widened and he exclaimed: "Oh my god, Real Madrid was drawn against Schalke 04 in the 1/8 finals of the Champions League. Unexpectedly, they were drawn against Dortmund in the 1/4 finals. Tang Zheng will face his old club. Dortmund, and this game is also a direct clash between last season’s Champions League finalists.”

Real Madrid official Sanchez's facial expression did not change much. For him, as long as he does not draw Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, ​​it will be fine.

As for drawing Dortmund, it doesn’t matter!

Anyway, Dortmund's most threatening Tang Zheng already joined Real Madrid last summer, which is equivalent to saying that Dortmund is not enough.

Dortmund official Zorc seemed very helpless. He thought of Dortmund meeting Real Madrid, but he did not expect that they would meet in the Champions League quarter-finals.

This Dortmund team is no longer the Dortmund at its peak. In the season after Tang Zheng left, Dortmund's overall record has dropped significantly, especially in the Bundesliga.

Now that we have drawn the powerful Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, it means that the road to the Champions League this season is very bumpy.

Although it does not mean that Dortmund's journey to the Champions League ends here, at least the difficulty coefficient has reached its highest point.

It would be okay if Real Madrid didn't have Tang Zheng, but Zorc knows best that Real Madrid has Tang Zheng, which is simply more powerful than a tiger.

Tang Zheng, who was sitting in front of the TV, shook his head and smiled bitterly. The opponent he least expected to meet was finally drawn.

In fact, the media speculated before the start of the Champions League quarter-finals draw ceremony that the two sides would be drawn together in last season's Champions League final?

UEFA draws have always been full of gimmicks. Putting aside the replay of last season's Champions League final, Tang Zheng's return to Westphalia in the Champions League knockout rounds is also eye-catching, allowing the UEFA Champions League brand to gain maximum advertising benefits.

But then again, you have to face what you have to face sooner or later.

Some things cannot be escaped.

The place where dreams begin is worth recalling.

※※※

The draw between Real Madrid and Dortmund deserves in-depth discussion by the on-site commentator. However, there are still four teams that have not been drawn in the Champions League quarter-finals draw ceremony, so UEFA Secretary General Infantino and Finals Ambassador Figo continue. The draw of the Champions League quarter-finals successfully paired the remaining four teams.

Tang Zheng had no interest in the detailed analysis of Thiago, the commentator of Spanish National TV Channel 5. He turned off the TV and prepared to go to the gym at the Valdebebas training base.

At this moment, his mobile phone placed on the luxurious mahogany table rang, but he didn't pay too much attention to it. After all, it was a very ordinary message notification tone.

Only five seconds later, the phone continuously sounded message notification sounds.

So Tang Zheng reluctantly picked up his phone and looked at it. It turned out that it was a "condolence message" sent by his Dortmund teammates.

In Dortmund, the person with the best relationship with Tang Zheng is undoubtedly Mats Hummels, so the text message he sent was the most direct. He said: "I know your characteristics best. Want to score goals and assists? No way!"

Tang Zheng shook his head, smiled, and replied casually: "I see your defensive flaws, and I'm waiting to become the scapegoat!"

The text message from Yan Junling, who has become Dortmund's starting goalkeeper, said: "Brother Zheng, can you give me some face? Please give me some mercy."

Lewandowski's text message was the funniest. He said: "According to the old rules, can you lose half by surrendering?"

Even Dortmund coach Klopp sent a text message: "This is a new era. I am looking forward to the two Champions League quarter-finals. We will let you know that Dortmund is still strong."

…

Tang Zheng slowly read each text message and then replied slowly.

The televised draw ceremony for the 2013-2014 Champions League quarter-finals went very quickly. Paris Saint-Germain was drawn against Chelsea, which also meant that the last two teams, Manchester United and Bayern Munich, were drawn together.

However, because the order of the Champions League quarter-finals draws is related to the next home and away games, the remaining two teams Manchester United and Bayern Munich still have to draw lots. Whoever is drawn first will be home first and then away.

The first team to be drawn is Manchester United, which means Bayern Munich plays away first and then home.

By the time Tang Zheng had fully replied, the 2013-2014 Champions League quarter-finals draw ceremony had ended, but Thiago, the commentator of Spanish National TV Channel 5, was still analyzing the just-concluded Champions League quarter-final draw with gusto.

After Tang Zheng replied to the text message, he turned off the TV, put his phone back in his trouser pocket, and then headed to the gym to prepare for the afternoon training session.

The home game against Barcelona is crucial and there can be no slack, even in the Champions League quarter-finals.

At the same time, CC5 commentator Duan Xuan was still explaining the draw for the quarter-finals of this season’s Champions League to the Chinese fans in front of the TV. In addition to Paris Saint-Germain VS Chelsea, the other three games had key comments, especially Real Madrid. The draw against Borussia Dortmund is played first home and then away.

In addition to the connection between the two teams in last season's Champions League final, Dortmund's meritorious player Tang Zheng joined Real Madrid last summer with a world football record transfer fee, which also attracted enough topics. Therefore, commentator Duan Xuan and guest commentator Xu Yang talked endlessly. .

German Sky commentator Marcel Leif sounded helpless. He said: "In addition to the German Cup, Dortmund has made great progress in all competitions this season, the league and the Champions League are not very ideal. The league is behind Bayern Munich, and the Champions League 1/8 finals Having qualified for the quarterfinals of the Champions League solely by relying on more away goals, and now being drawn against the powerful Real Madrid, perhaps...their Champions League journey this season will come to an end early..."

Although the Dortmund fans sitting in front of the TV seemed a little helpless, they did not lose confidence in the team. To survive in the environment.

Of course, at this time, more Dortmund fans are beginning to look forward to Tang Zheng's return home.

※※※

The next day, the European mainstream media broke out. In addition to the upcoming Spanish El Clasico, there was also the 2013-2014 Champions League quarter-final draw held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon at noon yesterday.

Every game has endless stories to tell, especially the encounter between Real Madrid and Dortmund.

However, the attention of the Real Madrid players has not shifted and is still focused on the upcoming Spanish El Clasico.

Before the quarter-finals of the Champions League, in addition to the El Clasico, there are two league games, which means that Real Madrid still has enough time to prepare for the two-leg home and away game against Dortmund in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Therefore, the top priority is the Spanish El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium the day after tomorrow.

It is indeed a headache for Barcelona to draw Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals, but the game they need to pay attention to now is the upcoming El Clasico.

During the two days of preparations for the game, there were not many players from both sides of the game. However, fans from both sides could not bear the loneliness and used online platforms to attack each other.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the El Clasico match between Real Madrid and Barcelona at home has arrived.

There are still several hours before the start of the game, and the square around the Bernabeu Stadium is already filled with fans of the home team Real Madrid, as well as some Barcelona fans wearing red and blue striped shirts.

However, compared to the huge crowds of Real Madrid fans, the number of Barcelona fans was pitifully small.

Of course, it's not that there aren't many Barcelona fans coming, but it's just that there are still several hours before the game starts, and many Barcelona fans are recuperating.

Like the players, they need a good mental state to prepare for the next ninety minutes of battle.

In many cases, fans in the stands consume no less physical energy than players running on the field for ninety minutes.

When the two teams arrived at the designated parking spot at the Bernabéu by bus, an unfortunate news came from Seville, the capital of Andalusia, for both El Clasico teams.

Real Betis, who is sitting at the Lopera Stadium at home, lost to Atletico Madrid 0:2, which means that Atletico Madrid, which played the first game, is four points ahead of Real Madrid and five points ahead of Barcelona.

If the countries are unable to decide the winner, Atletico Madrid's points advantage will reach three or four points.

…

Players from both sides appeared one after another at the Bernabeu Stadium to warm up. The stadium, which can accommodate 81,000 fans, was basically filled, with only a few empty seats.

But as time went on, those empty seats were filled by ticket-holding fans until they were full.

The second leg of El Clasico in La Liga in the 2013-2014 season is a must-see for every fanatic fan.

Not long after, players from both teams returned to their respective locker rooms from the tunnel to make final preparations for the upcoming El Clasico.

Atletico Madrid defeated Real Betis 2:0 in an away game, which was equivalent to giving an ultimatum to both sides of the game.

In the event of a draw, the points will be increased. Although the winning side will reduce the points, the losing side will further increase the points.

In the home team's locker room, Ancelotti's tactical arrangements were quite rigorous. He took the Barcelona starting list handed over by his assistant Clement, and the officially reported formation was four, three, and three.

The goalkeeper is still Valdes, the four defenders are Alba, Pique, Mascherano and Alves, the three midfielders are Xavi, Busquets and Fabregas, and the three forwards are Neymar , Messi and Iniesta.

According to the analysis of Ancelotti's coaching team, if nothing else happens, Barcelona will not plan to defend too much when they come to the Bernabeu Stadium, but... attack!

In the midfield, in addition to Busquets who is a professional defensive midfielder, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas are both strong in attack and weak in attack. Coupled with Iniesta's frontcourt organization, Barcelona's midfield organization group is very strong.

But then again, Barcelona wants to play against each other at the Bernabeu Stadium, which may be more beneficial to their team.

In this game, Ancelotti does not intend to put Tang Zheng in the attacking midfielder, but will partner Xabi Alonso in the defensive midfielder, and Modric, who is weak in defense, will serve as the attacking midfielder.

Although it is just a simple position exchange between Tang Zheng and Modric, Ancelotti's coaching team believes that the role played by then will be crucial.

Therefore, in the key arrangements before the game, Ancelotti emphasized Tang Zheng's instructions.

In the visiting team's locker room, Martino's eyes scanned every Barcelona player and finally settled on Messi.

Because...the only player he can rely on is compatriot Messi.

Harvey is getting older, but his ability and game experience are still there, but his physical fitness has declined significantly. He lost the first round of the El Clasico this season because Harvey was unable to control the overall situation.

This campaign was a guest at the Bernabeu. Martino's final decision to play against Real Madrid was due to Messi's recent excellent competitive form.

A Messi in hot form is equivalent to an existence with no solution.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, staff members knocked on the doors of the home and away locker rooms, reminding them that they could go to the player tunnel to prepare for the next El Clasico.

Immediately, the on-site director switched the camera, showing the panoramic view from the Bernabeu Stadium to the players' tunnel. Players from both sides gradually moved closer to the players' tunnel from two different directions, and then lined up in two teams...