Chapter 167 No matter how you want to kick me, I will accompany you! [Third update of hard work, begging for monthly tickets! ]
Unlike Glasgow in Scotland, which is more than 2,000 kilometers away from Seville, Lisbon is only 300 kilometers away from Seville. Portugal and Spain can be said to have the same origin, so for Sporting Lisbon, playing football in Seville is no different from playing an away game in Portugal.
But to be on the safe side, Sporting Lisbon decided to go to Seville after the training session in the evening before the game, so that the team can be more energetic to deal with the decisive battle the next night.
Su Dong's parents and Ma Dawei were arranged to follow Sporting Lisbon's relatives and friends to Seville on the day of the game.
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Seville, which hosted the UEFA Cup final, is an ancient city with a history of more than 2,000 years. It is known as a garden city by Europeans for its beautiful scenery. Tourists from all over the world call it "Little Rome", which shows its tourism resources.
The final venue was arranged to be the Olympic Stadium in Seville, which was originally the fixed home stadium of the Spanish national team. However, after the Spanish national team adopted the method of hosting home games in rotation across the country, the stadium became a little depressed.
But this time, the holding of the UEFA Cup final has rekindled the passion not only for this stadium, but also for the entire city of Seville. Slogans about the UEFA Cup final can be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys, as well as various football-related activities organized by the city government, creating a full atmosphere.
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Some people say that Britain is the birthplace of paparazzi.
As soon as Sporting Lisbon arrived in Seville, they felt their strength.
Right at the airport exit, the number of reporters from the UK far outnumbered the Portuguese ones. They behaved even crazier and even caused a commotion at the scene, blocking the Sporting Lisbon players at the airport exit.
Looking at their uncrowned king demeanor, it seems that they will not give up unless some news is left for them.
In the end, it was the airport security personnel who stepped in to help isolate the British journalists, allowing the Green Lions players to leave.
This is a final worth remembering! UEFA has decided that starting from this season's UEFA Cup final, the "Silver Ball System" will replace the "Golden Ball System". That is to say, after the two sides are tied within 90 minutes, there will no longer be a sudden death in the overtime, but the first and second half overtime will be adopted.
This will be a historic UEFA Cup final! Portuguese legend Figo is very happy that his team has reached the UEFA Cup final and has high hopes for the team. He said that he will not only be there to cheer in person, but will also form a star cheerleading team to go to Seville.
"Facing Celtic, Sporting Lisbon is not without advantages. On the contrary, our advantages are obvious on the offensive end. The key is how to bring out the threat of Su Dong on the front line."
Figo has a very high opinion of Su Dong and has high hopes for him.
"This requires Ronaldo and Quaresma on both sides to actively open up the defense for him and create more opportunities."
Not only that, Figo also gently admonished Boloni.
"In such a crucial game, he has to let go of some things. The team needs him to unite all the strength and let the team play the strongest combat effectiveness, so that they can defeat the opponent in the final."
Figo also mentioned the Celtics, believing that their most threatening player is Larsson.
"The Swedish striker is a goal-scoring machine. He has scored 42 goals this season, 28 in the league and nine in the UEFA Cup, currently only one goal behind Su Dong."
"More importantly, this will be his 100th game for Celtic. If he scores again, it will be his 200th goal for Celtic. This is undoubtedly a very memorable game, so Larsson will definitely try his best. Such a player will be very scary."
Figo also mentioned Larsson's partner, England center forward Sutton.
This center forward made his debut in Norwich and once played for Blackburn. He moved to Chelsea for a sky-high price of 13.5 million pounds, but was not successful. A year later, in 2000, he transferred to Celtic. He is 1.9 meters tall and is a typical English center forward with great strength.
"In addition, we must pay attention to their midfield organizing core, the Bulgarian player Petrov. This player is also quite strong. The midfield suppression must be in place and Petrov must not be given any chances."
Just like Porto, Celtic have been able to shine in the Scottish League and League Cup this season. A very important reason for this is Martin O'Neill's strong signings. From Sutton to Lennon to Balde and Thompson, all of them are powerful players and have cost a lot of transfer fees.
In contrast, Sporting Lisbon is stretched in terms of financial investment and relies more on local youth training and cheap veterans.
However, before the game, Sporting Lisbon also had good news.
Scotland's local center Hartson missed the game last weekend with a back strain and will be out for at least three weeks, missing the final.
Center forward Sutton was also injured, which left Larson the only intact player on the Celtics' front line.
The Celtics themselves are not known for their attacking power. They prefer a double striker combination of one tall and one fast. Currently, both center forwards are injured, which makes it difficult to predict how much attacking power the Scottish Premier League team can show.
On the other hand, Sporting Lisbon has basically no injuries on the front line.
The offensive core Sudon is in excellent form. He just scored twice in the Portuguese Super League championship final against Porto, helping Sporting Lisbon to defend the Portuguese Super League title. Ronaldo and Quaresma are also in good form.
In midfield, both teams lacked creativity.
The problem with Sporting Lisbon is that Bologna is conservative in its use of players, basically adopting a three-defensive midfielder system, which makes it difficult for creative players like Sa Pinto and Tonito to start.
The same is true of the midfield coached by Martin O'Neill. They are all a group of power players. Only Petrov is the core of the organization, and Larsson is often needed to retreat and connect with the team.
Overall, Sporting Lisbon's midfield has a slight advantage in technology and passing and cutting, while Celtic is more distinctive in speed and impact, and both teams are good at winning.
In terms of defense, both teams are basically very good and are the best defensive teams in this League Cup.
Overall, the strength of Sporting Lisbon and Celtic is very close.
The Scottish Premier League team adopted the traditional English style of play, playing in a 3-5-2 formation. They have very strong power and impact capabilities. Coupled with the combination of one tall and one fast striker in the frontcourt, as well as a goal-scoring machine like Larsson, their strength should not be underestimated.
The disadvantage is that the Scottish Premier League is currently in a state of chaos, with Celtic and Glasgow Rangers fighting each other for the championship, which makes it difficult for Celtic to focus on the League Cup final.
Sporting Lisbon is bound to face the game in a 4-3-3 formation. Facing the Celtic team with three defenders, they will have certain advantages on the flanks, but it is likely that they will lose the advantage in the midfield. The key lies in how the two teams restrain their opponents.
The Green Lions certainly do not need to be distracted by the league, but they just had a tough battle with Porto three days ago, which meant the team had to fight continuously. The players' bodies must be relatively tired, and it is unknown how much they can perform.
Because of this, the odds offered by bookmakers show that the two teams are equally matched.
Even 39 percent of people believed that the two teams would be tied at 0-0 in 90 minutes.
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In addition to the two teams and their respective fans, Portugal and England are also igniting the flames for the UEFA Cup final.
First, British Prime Minister Blair expressed his enthusiastic support for the Celtics. He said he would be there in person to cheer for the Celtics.
Not only that, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow, Conte, also expressed his support for Celtic. He not only wrote a letter to Martin O'Neill, but also announced that he would arrive at the scene to cheer for Celtic.
As the only remaining British team in the European arena, Celtic also received full support from the UK. Even Barry Ferguson, the captain of their arch-rivals Glasgow Rangers, expressed his full support for Celtic.
Sporting Lisbon is not far behind.
From President Sampaio and his wife, Prime Minister Barroso, as well as Portugal's interior minister, chief prosecutor, mayor of Lisbon and other government officials, all said they would take time out from their busy official duties to cheer for the Green Lions on the spot. Football figures led by Figo, as well as national team coach Scolari and others, all expressed their willingness to go to the scene to cheer for the Green Lions.
Even the chairman of the arch-rival Porto, Da Costa, said in an interview, "Sporting Lisbon's trip to Seville represents not only themselves, but also Portuguese football!"
The president of Porto said that six million Portuguese people will stand behind Sporting Lisbon! …………
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The external disturbances did not affect Sporting Lisbon's intensive preparations.
On the morning of the game, the team held a pre-match preparation meeting.
Head coach Boloni explained his ideas and requirements for the game to the players.
This time, he also responded to the call from the outside world and did not make any surprising adjustments to the starting lineup. Su Dong was clearly identified as the team's offensive core, and Ronnie and Quaresma will become his strongest and most powerful arms.
The midfield remains conservative, with Rui Bento, Albertini and Barbosa continuing to form the three defensive midfielders.
The defense is composed of the unshakable main force, Rui Jorge, Pepe, Andre Cruz and Queiroga.
This should be Sporting Lisbon's strongest lineup so far this season.
Veteran Albertini has rich experience in finals. Following head coach Boloni, he passed on his experience to everyone.
"In a game like this, no matter what happens, we must always remain calm and rational."
"Celtic's style is very aggressive, they will definitely commit a lot of fouls, we must be mentally prepared for this, and many of our advantages in the Portuguese Super League are not available in Celtic, we must pay attention to this."
At this point, Albertini looked at Su Dong solemnly, "For example, physical confrontation."
Su Dong understood Albertini's concerns, and he nodded to show that he had received it.
"Don't worry, no matter how they want to play, I will accompany them!" Su Dong said confidently.
He is no longer the rookie who just debuted.
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(End of this chapter)
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