April 23, 8:30 p.m., Madrid, Spain.
The stands at Bernabéu Stadium were steep, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure. The tiers were packed with a sea of people, and the deafening roar they created swept through every corner of the stadium.
Led by referee Weber, the players of both teams entered Bernabéu in formation.
The thunderous roar produced by more than eighty thousand fans instantly made the players feel as though gladiators were entering a bloody arena or bullfighters were stepping into a coliseum. They could not help feeling tense and pressured.
No one doubted that this would be a classic clash between two top teams!
Guardiola's Bayern Munich was just like Barcelona, the team he had once coached. Any fan needed only to watch Bayern Munich for a few minutes to recognize at a glance that this was Guardiola's football—the same style that belonged to Barcelona.
Real Madrid's style was varied. It had Italy's solid defense, sharp and aggressive counterattacks, and the patience to slow down and calmly circulate the ball...
If Guardiola had left a deep mark on Bayern Munich, imprinting it with his traditional style and characteristics, then what Ancelotti had created at Real Madrid was a team without a fixed style.
Thus, over the past few seasons, Real Madrid's tactics had constantly changed. Its formation had shifted from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3, then to a 4-4-2, a 4-3-2-1, a 3-5-2, and other tactical formations. At times, Ancelotti would even adopt several different tactical systems in a single match, depending on the situation.
These were two completely different teams, yet both were among the strongest in world football.
A clash and collision like this could only happen on a stage like the Champions League.
The two teams entered the pitch, and their starting lineups had