Chapter 53: Three-Round Opening

"The captains of both sides, the core players of both sides, Kai and Messi exchange team flags and divide the sides!"

"Both of them are the absolute core of their respective teams. They have the ability to rewrite the score of the game and determine the direction of the game. It can be said that the confrontation between these two people directly determines the final direction of the game."

The commentator's voice couldn't help but become a little louder.

After two rounds of the Champions League, the third round finally ushered in a head-to-head battle against Maimang.

Both Arsenal and Barcelona are strong teams in the Champions League.

Although Barcelona no longer has the glory of the Cosmos era, thanks to the outstanding performance of Messi, Suarez and others, Barcelona still maintains a strong competitiveness in the Champions League.

There is no need to mention Arsenal. As the most popular seed to win the championship, Arsenal's strength level has always been recognized by Europe.

The strong dialogue between these two teams will further intensify the intensity of the game.

"You come first!"

When guessing the edge, Lucky took the initiative to give up the right to choose.

Messi also did his part.

"I want the front!"

"I'm the opposite!"

Both of them made their choices, and the referee tossed the special coin high.

When the coin hits the ground, it’s heads!

Messi pointed to the center circle and said: "We want the ball!"

Lucky pointed to the field on the left; "We want the field on the left!"

The wind was not strong today, so we chose the left field mainly because it is backed by the Arsenal fan area, which can minimize the interference from the opposing fans.

[A novel app that has been running stably for many years, comparable to the old book-chasing tool, and a source-changing app used by old bookworms,]

This will help Arsenal get into game shape faster before the game.

Both sides made their choices, and in the end Lucky shook hands with Messi and the three referees from their respective halves.

At this time, the starting list also appeared on the big screen.

Barcelona (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Ter Stegen.

Defenders: Roberto, Pique, Langley, Alba.

Midfielder: Rakitic, Busquets, Arthur.

Forwards: Messi, Suarez, Coutinho.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Martinez.

Defenders: Bellerin, Jimenez, Hummels, Robertson.

Midfielder: Aubameyang, Wilshere, Kante, Lucky, Mane.

Forward: Giroud.

Both sides showed their best and all their main players faced this game.

Obviously, they don't want to let go of this crucial game that can be said to determine the first place in the group.

"This is the third round of the UEFA Champions League Group B in the 2018/2019 season. Barcelona plays Arsenal at home!"

"The one wearing the red and blue home jersey is Barcelona, ​​and the one wearing the red and white jersey is Arsenal!"

"Both teams currently maintain the first place in points in their respective leagues. It can be said that this is a confrontation between the top teams in La Liga and the Premier League."

"We can see that Messi has returned to the starting lineup. Barcelona has been caught in a certain amount of public opinion due to Messi's injury and Valverde's employment issues. But in this game, facing such a crucial game In the game, Messi also went into battle again and started against Arsenal! "

"Arsenal also played their main players. During the league and cup matches, Arsenal's rotation gave the main players a lot of rest time. Their physical condition is definitely better. We can look forward to whether Arsenal can perform well in this game. Have a better performance!”

"At the same time, judging from the current lineup, Arsenal is not a completely defensive position. Obviously Mourinho does not want to be so passive when facing Barcelona."

"Or we can also see Messi and Kai penetrating each other's front lines and attacking the city!"

Zhan Jun's voice was extremely excited.

His voice conveyed the fans' expectations very well.

This crucial game has been a long time coming for many fans.

They are particularly looking forward to how Arsenal and Barcelona will start the match.

At this time, the referee has already walked out of the center circle.

The next second, a sharp whistle sounded.

The third round of the UEFA Champions League group stage of the 2018/2019 season has officially begun.

"At the beginning of the game, after Suarez kicked the ball, Barcelona quickly integrated their formation and began to pass the ball. The ball began to be passed frequently to Messi's feet, and at the same time it was distributed to Coutinho on the right wing. It can be said that this season, Coutinho Tinho plays more of a charging role in Barcelona, ​​and this young man has become one of the few offensive players in Barcelona. "

Barcelona's offensive is still launched from the ground.

However, Arsenal's defense is also very solid.

Especially at the beginning of the game, Lucky did not step forward, but maintained a parallel position with Kanter to ensure that the ball would not penetrate easily.

Coutinho needs to face Lucky's marking, but he is not a fool. He does not bite the bullet and go hard with Lucky. Instead, he frequently passes the ball in the frontcourt, through Suarez's counterattack and Messi. The ability to hold the ball ensures their advancement.

This kind of advancement is somewhat similar to the former MSN Trident.

However, it feels a bit awkward in terms of speed.

And in the process of advancing, it seems to be just standing still and failing to penetrate the ball into the dangerous area.

Messi has the ball again, standing close to the center.

Since Iniesta left Barcelona, ​​Messi has taken on more work in organizing and attacking in the frontcourt.

Unlike the previous charge, Messi is more like a commander at this time.

But facing Arsenal's iron wall, Messi was a little embarrassed for a while.

The penetrating pass he has always been good at is a little difficult to display.

Lekai and Kante kept a good distance. The two of them clearly told him that if he dared to kick a penetrating pass, they would break it for you to see.

For this reason, Messi did not dare to act rashly.

He began to call on his teammates to come forward and increase some offensive power in the frontcourt.

Barcelona's positional advancement has always been a unique skill.

But this time, they seemed to be wrong.

When Barcelona's players rushed into Arsenal's half, Arsenal seemed to have received some kind of stress response and suddenly became manic.

Pressing and oppression also became extremely fierce.

Wilshere, Mane, and Aubameyang retreated and pressed frantically.

With the support of Lukay and Kante, Arsenal instantly took the initiative in the midfield.

"Arsenal started to act. They were not willing to passively defend and began to actively press."

Andy Gray, the Sky Sports commentator, shouted loudly.

His expression was extremely excited. That's right, this is how they should play. They can't play so passively against Barcelona.

Sure enough, under Arsenal's continuous pressure, Barcelona's passing became increasingly difficult to maintain.

As a last resort, they could only pass back.

Busquets retreated and asked for a safe pass at the same time.

Coutinho also turned around and passed back immediately.

When Busquets was waiting to receive the ball, his teammate Pique suddenly exclaimed behind him; "Be careful!"

Busquets almost subconsciously turned sideways to block the ball.

He collided heavily with Giroud, but Busquets still stabilized his body.

A Xavi-style circle, forward and reverse, created some gaps.

Just when Busquets thought he had escaped the opponent's pressing, a figure suddenly rushed out from the side again.

Mane rushed out from the side quickly and poked the ball to Wilshere in the middle.

"Mane! A steal in the frontcourt!

Arsenal counterattacked!"

Andy Gray cheered suddenly.

Wilshere held the ball and dribbled forward immediately. The whole person was dribbling diagonally close to the left side, pulling the entire defense line to the left.

When Barcelona's defense line came to the left, Wilshere suddenly stopped.

"Is the ball going to be passed?"

Andy Gray immediately expected.

At this time, Pique's expression also changed suddenly, and he immediately moved forward to press.

But at this moment, Wilshere suddenly moved forward and passed Pique.

"It's over!

Wilshere shot! This ball~~~~~~"

Andy Gray held his head, and the ball flew out by the goal post.

This shot required too much angle and failed to accurately push the far corner.

Wilshere also shook his head with regret.

But his dribbling was still very exciting.

Not only did he fool Pique, but he almost penetrated Barcelona's goal.

At the beginning of the game, Arsenal took the lead and immediately formed a counterattack with this steal in the frontcourt.

And this attack also made Barcelona sweat, and they were obviously shocked.