Chapter 1004: Peak Showdown with Real Madrid

When Bruno said after the game that he didn't think Manchester United had won the league title in advance, it was not just a compliment, but he was really worried.

According to the schedule, Manchester United will have six Premier League games, two Champions League semi-finals, and one FA Cup final starting from April 4rd this weekend to the last round of the league on May 23nd. In just one month, there will be six Premier League games, two Champions League semi-finals, and one FA Cup final!

30 games in 9 days, this is a complete challenge to the limits of football players, not to mention that it is the final stage of the season and the players are almost exhausted.

What's more, among these opponents, Manchester United will also face strong rivals such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid.

Especially after this Manchester derby, Manchester United will face Arsenal in the 34th round of the Premier League at the weekend, and then face Real Madrid at home in the middle of the week.

Manchester United and Ancelotti are destined to be unable to take care of both games and must strategically give up one of them.

Compared with the league, Manchester United has a huge double-digit advantage. In the two-round knockout match between home and away, they are already at a disadvantage in terms of schedule. They must win this home game and establish enough advantages, otherwise they may be eliminated in the series.

Especially since their opponent is the super giant Real Madrid, in order to prevent Manchester United from challenging their record of five consecutive Champions League titles, and also to win the Champions League again after six years, Real Madrid will definitely fight Manchester United with all their might.

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Under such circumstances, it was understandable to everyone that Ancelotti used an all-substitute lineup in the 34th round of the Premier League match against Arsenal at the weekend.

Manchester United, who played with an entire substitute lineup, met Arsenal, who were fighting for Champions League qualification, so it was no surprise that they were defeated in the end.

The score was 1-3, and Manchester United had little resistance at the Emirates Stadium. Tavares scored in the first half, and Saka extended the lead from the penalty spot. Although McTominay pulled one back for Manchester United, Xhaka's stunning second-half strike gave Arsenal a 3-1 home win, handing the Red Devils their second Premier League defeat of the season.

Subsequently, Manchester City, who were fighting on a single front, slaughtered Watford 5:1 at home, narrowing the gap with Manchester United to 7 points.

At the moment the game ended, the Blue Moon fans at the Etihad Stadium seemed to have returned to ten years ago, as if they had witnessed the beginning of another super reversal.

The next day, Liverpool defeated Everton 2-0 in a Merseyside derby, stopping their decline and narrowing the gap with Manchester United to 8 points.

However, Manchester United did not pay any attention to the fact that the score was being closed by their two arch-rivals at the same time, because their energy was completely focused on the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid which was about to start in the middle of the week.

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In the match against Real Madrid, Mbappé was a name that could not be avoided. The French star, who moved to Real Madrid last summer for a record-breaking €2.5 million, was once a favorite among Manchester United fans. However, when Real Madrid extended an olive branch to him, he resolutely left Manchester United.

Mbappé's choice deeply hurt countless Manchester United fans around the world, because they once thought that their team was the best team in the world and the highest ideal in the hearts of all players. Mbappé's move undoubtedly told them that Manchester United is still not the best team in the world.

When the players came out, some people looked up at the stands and saw a very eye-catching slogan asking why Mbappé wanted to transfer to Real Madrid. They also heard boos, but there was no giant TIFO.

As the game started, the boos against Mbappé gradually disappeared and everyone's attention was focused on the game.

After all, no matter what conflicts there are in normal times, the game is the most important thing now. They come to the new Old Trafford not just to boo Mbappé, but to support the team.

Real Madrid kicked off the game first and took advantage of the opportunity to launch a fierce attack on Manchester United.

As soon as the game started, they quickly accelerated and did not consider themselves as a visiting team at all.

In their eyes, Manchester United has been exhausted by the Premier League and is now at its weakest, so of course they want to take advantage of the situation to kill it.

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Soon, they reached the front of Manchester United's penalty area. Modric made a wonderful pass to Benzema. Benzema shot from the edge of the penalty area, but the ball was slightly higher!

"Oh! That was close!"

Although the ball did not go in, it scared the Manchester United fans in the stands and made them scream.

"The game just started and Real Madrid showed a high-quality attack. It seems that Real Madrid entered the game state quite quickly. As the Madrid media said, this team is indeed here for revenge... But this is not good news for Manchester United..." He Wei said worriedly.

"Modric's through pass just now was very exciting, and Benzema's shot was also very decisive. The quality of Real Madrid's attack this time was very high. If they can continue this performance, they will definitely put a lot of pressure on Manchester United away from home..." Martin Taylor is also more optimistic about Real Madrid.

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After Benzema shot the ball high, the close-up shot on TV was not of Benzema, but of Modric who passed the ball to him.

As a star who became famous at Tottenham, Modric can be said to have "gone home" in this game.

When he was at Tottenham, Modric's fame was only average, but joining Real Madrid elevated his career. He went from being a well-known midfielder to a world-class organizing midfielder.

His transfer choices took his career to the next level, so will Mbappé's transfer choices have the same result?

Although Manchester United has set off a red storm in the world football in recent years, in the minds of many people, Real Madrid is still stronger and more famous than Manchester United.

After his experience at Real Madrid, Modric has become a master midfielder, while Mbappe has not yet become the core of Manchester United. Perhaps he also had such considerations when choosing to go to Real Madrid?

From the neutral perspective of the broadcaster, there is no need for them to be dissatisfied with Mbappe's transfer choice. They may even think that Mbappe made the right choice. Modric's present is what he will pursue in the future.

The Spanish commentator felt sorry that Benzema did not score the goal, but he was not disappointed. From his words, it can be seen that he was full of confidence in the team and was very optimistic about the situation of the game.

"Just play like this! Real Madrid entered the game state very early today, and there is hope if they continue to play like this! Manchester United obviously hasn't entered the game state, and it's doubtful how much their players still have in mind for the game... If we can score a goal in the first 20 minutes of the game, then they will collapse!"

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When Spain said this, De Gea was placing the ball and preparing to take a goal kick.

Bruno did not wait for the ball to fly over in the frontcourt, but took the initiative to retreat and ran in front of the defense line.

Seeing him retreat, De Gea did not choose to kick the ball directly, but passed the ball to central defender Van Dijk.

Van Dijk turned around and adjusted before passing the ball, so when he received the ball he didn't have to turn his back to the direction of attack, but could pass the ball directly to Bruno.

As soon as Bruno received the ball, Modric came up from behind.

Real Madrid naturally couldn't fail to deploy defenders against Manchester United's core players. Even if they felt Manchester United's fighting power was weakened, they couldn't afford to take Bruno lightly.

In view of Bruno's wide range of activities, Ancelotti's defensive tactics for Bruno are not to arrange specific people to mark him. Instead, Real Madrid players in the area where Bruno moves will be there to defend him.

The advantage of doing this is that it will not disrupt their formation, but the disadvantage is... not every Real Madrid player is good at defense, such as Modric.

Although Modric moved closer, in Bruno's opinion, he did not stay close to him at all. This level of close defense was far inferior to Casemiro's defense.

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Bruno feinted to the right, stepping over the ball with his left foot but not touching it. The movement of his upper body suggested he was trying to push the ball to the right with his left foot and then turn and break through, but that wasn't the case. The feint easily fooled Modric into following him that way.

At this time, Bruno used the outside of his left foot to push the ball to the left, and at the same time turned around, passing by Modric and getting rid of him.

Bruno, who broke through Modric's defense, will next face Casemiro's head-on interception.

Bruno changed his rhythm when dribbling the ball when facing Casemiro. He first slowed down, as if he was going to pass the ball to Greenwood next to him, causing Casemiro to rush towards Greenwood. However, Bruno used his right foot to move the ball to the left.

Casemiro rushed forward again, and the focus of Real Madrid's defense also shifted to that side.

At this moment, Bruno kicked the ball to Greenwood with the toe of his right foot while dribbling.

It was too late for Casemiro to turn around and pounce on Greenwood at this time. Greenwood turned around and dribbled forward, breaking through the penalty area alone.

Facing Varane who was trying to steal the ball, he feinted and then shot with his right foot!

The ball was saved by Courtois and fell at the feet of Harry Kane.