Chapter 47

On October 20, the day of the fateful duel finally arrived.

Leicester City players arrived at St. Andrews Stadium, the home of Birmingham, and were greeted by loud boos from the fans.

Li Lei followed his teammates off the bus and immediately felt strong hostility.

The Birmingham fans around held up the team flags and booed in unison to try to affect the morale of the visiting team.

However, the experienced Leicester City players were not affected by their emotions and still maintained a professional attitude to do pre-match training.

Li Lei also warmed up meticulously to accumulate strength for the game.

There were rumors that Leicester City's opponents in the last two consecutive victories were too weak, and they immediately became weak shrimps when they met strong teams.

So this game is not only about winning or losing, but also about dignity.

They must win at the opponent's home court to prove Leicester City's strength.

After the warm-up, the Leicester City players returned to the locker room and waited for the tactical arrangements of head coach Pearson.

Pearson stood in front of the whiteboard and said to everyone:"Guys, today we are facing an angry Birmingham team."

"They will go all out at home and we have to be careful"

"On the defensive side, the back line should pay attention to organization and must not be thrown into disarray by the opponent's attack."

"Assist in defense on both sides and pay attention to marking"

"In terms of offense, we need to cooperate more with the wingers to break through the opponent's defense line."

"The middle road should also actively penetrate and strive for opportunities to shoot"

"I need you to compete aggressively on the field and put pressure on the opponent."

"With our strength and tacit understanding, we can definitely win here"

"Screw their home advantage, we just want to shut up our opponents and fans! So go fight and win glory for our Leicester City!"

""Yes, boss!"

In the player tunnel, the staff's final instructions and the fans' cheers mixed together.

Li Lei took a deep breath, feeling the tension and excitement in the air.

His teammates' faces were filled with the look of being ready to play, and they were all in high spirits.

Everyone looked at each other and nodded, conveying the encouragement and determination before the battle without words.

The atmosphere on the court outside the door was already white-hot, with the home fans holding up the group flag and shouting and cheering one after another.

Li Lei knew that once they walked out of this door, they would be at the center of this warm atmosphere.

"Fight for honor! Fight for victory!" The captain shouted, and the players followed suit.

Li Lei clenched his fists, he couldn't wait to verify his strength himself.

As the referee signaled that the time was up, Li Lei strode out of the player tunnel, and the sun and the cheers of the fans suddenly rushed towards him.

After Captain Morgan and the Birmingham captain completed the side guessing ceremony, Leicester City got the priority to choose the side. The players of the two teams came to their respective half with different moods.

With the referee's crisp whistle, the atmosphere on the field suddenly became tense! This game, which was destined not to be peaceful, officially kicked off.

"Hello, dear audience friends! Welcome to watch this English Championship match, Birmingham City vs. Leicester City at home. The game has started now."

"Dear viewers, we have received the starting lineups of both teams. Now let's take a look at Leicester City's starting lineup."

Leicester City starting players:

Goalkeeper: Adam Smith

Defenders: Conor Clifford, Lee Peltier, Wes Morgan, Delater

Midfielders: Wilfred Niemeyer, Niamh Slattery, James Maddison

Forwards: Li Lei, Vardy, Beckford

"Goalkeeper Adam Smith, this veteran maintained a stable performance and was an important part of the team's championship"

"The back line of Clifford, Peltier, captain Morgan and Delat, this is Leicester City's iron-blooded defense"

"In the midfield, Niemeyer is responsible for organization, Slattery is the defensive midfielder, and Madison's skills provide the team with many attacking points."

"The front line Li Lei and Vardy are a strong wing combination with tacit cooperation, which is a nightmare for the opponent's defense."

"Head coach Pearson used the 433 formation as usual, and this tactic successfully brought out the team's offensive strength."

"I believe this top attack will also bring great pressure to Birmingham City's defense today."

Birmingham starting players:

Goalkeeper: Nick Townsend

Defenders: Tyler Blackett, Curtis Davies, Dan Boone, Bartley

Midfielders: Albert Rusnak, Scott Allen, Kobe Arthur, Adam Rooney

Forwards: Nathan Raymond, Akwasi Asante

"We also see that Birmingham's formation is 442, taking into account both defense and offense"

"Goalkeeper Townsend is experienced and can organize the back line. Blackett and Davis are the backbone of the team. Boone and Bartley guard the two sides."

"The midfield duo of Cerusnak and Allen emphasizes defense, while Arthur and Rooney's main task is to support the forwards."

"Forwards Raymond and Asanti are outstanding and are the absolute core of this team."

"The head coach obviously pays more attention to defense this time, hoping to limit Leicester City's fierce attack."

"The game starts and Birmingham gets the kick-off"

"But they did not rush to attack, but chose to fight for possession of the ball in the backcourt"

"We can see that Birmingham's defense and midfield are still taking a steady approach, trying not to lose the ball in the backcourt, and the ball is constantly exchanged between various positions."

"This style of play is mainly to kill time. In addition, Birmingham is playing at home and obviously hopes to control the tempo of the game."

"Leicester City took an active approach in pressing forward, trying to prevent the opponent from controlling the ball stably."

"However, Birmingham's current style of play is also relatively successful"

"As soon as the game started, we saw Leicester City's midfielders, led by Li Lei, start to put high pressure on Birmingham's defense."

"They obviously realize that they can’t passively fall into the opponent’s rhythm."