The Classic of the Five-Peat

After beating Lyon, Real Madrid received an overwhelming wave of praise from the outside world.

The frustration that had built up for a full six years erupted completely in that instant, forming a sweeping tide that surged toward Valdebebas, northeast of central Madrid, and engulfed everyone at Real Madrid.

But on the afternoon after the match, before training began, Head Coach Benitez and captain Raul jointly called the players to a meeting.

The meeting even drew the attendance of Real Madrid general manager Manuel Redondo and director Valdano.

Looking back over the season, Real Madrid had reached two crucial turning points.

The first was El Clásico. Facing Barcelona away from home had been Real Madrid's first major test of the season.

The second was the Champions League Round of 16.

As for the Champions League Group Stage, Real Madrid had never believed they would stop there. If Benitez could not lead the team through the group stage, he would be dismissed. As for the Copa del Rey, that competition was not taken seriously.

Judging from the current situation, Real Madrid had performed extremely well at both of the first two turning points.

They had thrashed Barcelona 5–0 away from home and eliminated Lyon 5–1 on aggregate, smoothly accomplishing the team's predetermined objectives. Next, the team would be Fighting on Two Fronts.

What kind of opponent they would face in the Champions League quarterfinals and what tactics they would use were still unknown.

For this campaign, Benitez's strategy was to take things one step at a time and focus on playing each match well.

But in La Liga, Real Madrid currently led Barcelona by five points. With thirteen rounds remaining, preserving that advantage would still be extremely challenging.

They especially had to be wary of the fact that they would host