The night of August 29, Bernabéu Stadium.
In the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup, Real Madrid hosted Barcelona.
Before the match, the players from both teams lined up in the tunnel, ready to enter the field at any moment.
The atmosphere in the tunnel was extremely tense, carrying a murderous chill.
By comparison, Barcelona's players looked more confident and relaxed. After all, they currently held the advantage. Their 2–1 home victory was dangerous, but at least they had a one-goal lead.
If Real Madrid wanted to turn things around at the Bernabéu, they had to attack. That was exactly what Barcelona wanted to see.
Considering Real Madrid's strength after rebuilding, as well as the team's current form after two straight defeats, would Ancelotti dare to attack?
Judging from the starting lineups, both teams had gathered all their forces.
Real Madrid's goalkeeper was Casillas, with Marcelo, Vermaelen, Ramos, and Azpilicueta across the back line.
This was the first time the young Spaniard had taken the field in a Real Madrid shirt. Arbeloa had just played two consecutive matches, so Ancelotti wanted to rotate the squad appropriately for this game. He also needed a fresh face to deal with Neymar.
Azpilicueta had performed exceptionally well in training. That was why Ancelotti trusted him.
The midfield consisted of David Silva, Javi Martínez, and Xabi Alonso. The front three were Hazard, Yang Yang, and Di Maria. Robben was also rotated after playing two straight matches.
Among the front three, Yang Yang was the only one to have played all three matches since the start of the season.
Barcelona had also fielded all their starters. Valdes was in goal, with Alba, Puyol, Pique, and Alves in defense. Busquets remained the holding midfielder, while Iniesta and Xavi formed the rest of the midfield. Up