Although Madrid and Barcelona were still some distance apart, Barça had no intention of spending the night in Madrid.
According to the club's schedule, they would depart for Madrid on Wednesday morning. The match was scheduled for 9:30 p.m. that evening, and after Tuesday's training session, Vilanova announced the twenty-four-man squad for the trip to Madrid in front of everyone in the First Team.
Two goalkeepers and several youngsters from the youth team had become standard for Barça's squad lists. The First Team roster was still incomplete, and the bench lacked depth, but at the very least, the starting lineup was relatively intact.
Aside from Abidal, Vilanova had called up every First Team player. Even Fabregas, who had been rumored before the match to be on his way out, was included in the matchday squad. Whether he would play, however, was anyone's guess.
"After this, as usual, you can speak to the reporters, but I still want to remind everyone that Real Madrid remains the most terrifying team in the world. A 2–1 scoreline isn't enough to guarantee our advancement, so we still need to keep a low profile, even though our opponents are currently in a slump."
Vilanova's final remark made the Barça players in the line laugh.
Who could have imagined that Real Madrid, so dominant and invincible last season, would suffer two straight defeats at the start of the new season?
Losing the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup to Barça was one thing, but they had then returned to the league and lost 2–1 to their younger neighbors, Getafe. Barça had also suffered a heavy defeat at Getafe's home ground last season, but they were more than happy to see Real Madrid take such an embarrassing loss now.
"Tito, I heard things aren't peaceful inside