Chapter 52: Competition Day

On the day of the competition, it is usually a collective activity and there will not be any individual activities.

The main one is easy to manage.

Of course, Lucky's pre-match interview is an exception. After all, it is a mandatory requirement of the Champions League organizers.

However, interviews will also be held at the hotel.

At about 7 o'clock in the morning, Lucai completed the interview. There were only a few main questions, so you can just ask them casually.

After bidding farewell to the reporters from the competition team, Lucky came to the restaurant.

"Today's dishes are still not rich enough!"

Wilshere started complaining when he saw the game meal.

As a meat-loving person, I can’t eat too much meat before the game to keep my body light.

For this reason, Wilshere will complain about the pre-game meal before every game.

There are no big requirements for these Lucky.

Whether it's a vegetable salad or a meat set meal, Lucky enjoys eating them all.

After feeling slightly full, the players began to put down their knives and forks and stopped eating.

The time on the day of the game is still a bit tight.

After eating, the players took the bus to the competition venue to adapt to the game.

They arrived at the Camp Nou at around 10 o'clock in the morning.

This stadium, which can accommodate 100,000 people, is empty at this time.

In addition to some lawn caretakers and guides and event personnel arranged by Barcelona, ​​there are Arsenal players.

The whole stepping on the field will not last long, which is a process of adaptation.

At noon, the field must be watered and inspected to ensure that there are no stones or sharp objects on the field to ensure the normal conduct of the game.

Arsenal completed their stomping activity at 10:30.

It only took half an hour in total.

Return to the hotel at noon and eat again.

This time, they had to eat more generously. After all, the game was in the evening and they couldn't eat anything high-calorie after the afternoon.

For this reason, the lunch meal generally meets the energy intake needs of the players.

After a hearty meal, Mourinho arranged for the players to gather in the tactical room.

This is the last tactical arrangement before the game.

This is also the final adjustment, and the specific competition list will also be announced during this time.

The entire tactics course lasted an hour, and the players took a short nap to reduce their energy levels.

The next step is to prepare for the evening game.

The most difficult thing about away games is not the pressure brought by away fans, but the ability to adapt to a strange environment.

For example, how to adapt to the high temperature in Barcelona.

Despite the experience of swimming for a day, the players were still a little uncomfortable.

The timing of replenishing water and how to ensure the body's condition will all be finalized at this point in time.

The time came to evening unknowingly.

At this time, it is time for the Arsenal players to set off for the competition venue.

Under the arrangement of the staff, we got on the bus together, and the equipment and other equipment had been transported there early.

At five o'clock, Arsenal set off on time.

At the same time, Barcelona on the other side also went to the stadium during this time.

The two sides arrived at the Camp Nou almost head-to-head.

Unlike during the day, Camp Nou is extremely hot at night.

A large number of away fans from Barcelona and Arsenal gathered here, and the local Barcelona police maintained order.

The subway is running in batches, transporting more fans of both teams to the vicinity of the stadium.

It can be said that there are more than 100,000 fans gathered in this area.

This is also the charm of the Champions League.

At this time, the Camp Nou stadium has undoubtedly become the focus of the entire city and even Spain.

The Arsenal bus arrived at the stadium to cheers.

After entering the stadium from the side door, there was a guide at the door to guide them like a locker room.

Along the way, the players moved forward in silence.

This also adds to the pre-game tension.

After entering the dressing room, Arsenal's casual staff were already waiting here.

Seeing the players walking in, they all started clapping and cheering.

"come on!

"

"Guys! Watching you tonight!"

"Get the victory!"

"Let's make a scene!"

The Arsenal players high-fived the staff and immediately came to their lockers.

The game jerseys have been hung on the lockers, and warm-up uniforms are stacked in a mess on the table in the middle.

There are two sets of jerseys for the game and warm-up jerseys.

The locker room before the game was not as lively or solemn as outsiders thought.

Everyone is doing their own thing in an orderly manner.

For example, Hummels and Jimenez sat together and discussed issues in a low voice.

Kanter was wearing headphones and was in a daze.

Wilshere quickly put on his warm-up clothes and immediately led a group of slightly ailing teammates to the physical therapy room.

There is a small treatment room to the side of the locker room.

There are three physiotherapy beds inside, where players can receive pre-game massages from masseurs and some services such as bandaging their ankles.

Lucky stood in front of the locker room, making final confirmations with the event staff.

"Our game roster will be announced soon, yes! The starting lineup has not been determined yet."

"Okay, we've prepared the team flag!"

After the final confirmation with the staff, Lekai returned to his position to change into warm-up clothes.

At this time, the outside world began to get lively.

Waves of cheers also poured into the locker room through the wall, which was the signal for the fans to enter.

And it was at this moment that the tension gradually spread.

Lekai changed into Arsenal's warm-up clothes and turned around and shouted: "Everyone move faster, we should warm up!"

Hearing Lekai's shout, the players sped up.

Soon, they were dressed neatly and followed Lekai out of the locker room.

When passing through the player tunnel, the cheers of 100,000 Barcelona fans were enough to make some rookies weak in the feet.

After all, that was a roar of 100,000 people, and any rookie who came to Barcelona for the first time would be scared by this scene.

Even some young players in Barcelona had the problem of being scared by the cheers of fans at their home stadium.

However, this time the Arsenal players were all experienced athletes, and they were not scared by this atmosphere.

Arteta was in charge of the warm-up.

This guy jumped up and down, and began to lead the players to warm up and stretch their bodies.

During the whole process, the Arsenal players also constantly adjusted their own status.

The lights were a little dazzling, and the air was still hot and stuffy.

Especially in a stadium with 100,000 people gathered, in this stadium without air conditioning, the whole thing was like a big furnace.

Although there was not much activity, the body began to sweat.

"Be sure to pay attention to replenishing water. After returning, everyone must replenish enough water!"

Arteta never tired of notifying. Before the game, this guy would become particularly wordy.

But this is also for the good of Arsenal.

Barcelona on the other side is also warming up.

The Barcelona fans at the scene have begun to call Messi's name.

Under the wave of "Messi" calls, the Arsenal players are under great pressure.

After all, the name Messi itself represents the word "powerful".

Messi is still doing the classic gymnastics warm-up, running around the court alone.

However, compared with the past, Messi's warm-up is more thorough and positive.

It can be seen that he is under great pressure for this game.

Soon, both sides completed the pre-match warm-up and returned to the locker room.

This is also the last adjustment before the game.

Back to the locker room, the first thing is to change the jerseys for the game and replenish water.

At the same time, the coaches took out some bananas and handed them to the players in need.

After all, the last time they ate was at noon, and their stomachs just happened to be a little hungry at this time.

But before the game, they couldn't eat, and fruits like bananas were the best food for preparation.

Lekai also ate two bananas, and his appetite was slightly bigger.

After a slight sense of sedimentation in the stomach, Lekai stood up and prepared to play.

As Lekai stood up, other Arsenal players followed.

Mourinho and other coaches also cheered and applauded loudly to encourage the players.

Arsenal and Barcelona players almost walked from the corner at the same time.

Both sides came towards each other.

Lekai and Messi's eyes met in the air, and both of them looked cautious and solemn.

There was no communication between them.

After arriving at the player's tunnel, they turned left and right, and each came to their own station and stood quietly, waiting for the game to start.