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What was bound to happen, happened!
The Champions League semi-final, the most important battle of the season, was imminent.
Lance felt that the small city of Leverkusen was about to burst at the seams.
On the way to the base, he could see many groups of tourists wandering around.
Leverkusen is not a typical tourist city, and besides coming to watch a game, he couldn't think of any other reason why people would visit.
There were Catalan fans who had travelled from Spain, fans from all over Europe who had come to join the excitement, and even Chinese fans who had travelled thousands of miles from China specifically to cheer on Lance.
One day before the match, Lance accompanied coach Sascha to the press conference.
At the fan shop outside BayArena, Lance could still see long queues, stretching as far as the eye could see.
"So many people buying jerseys?"
"Of course!"
The driver, who used to be in charge of deliveries at the fan shop, was quite knowledgeable about this.
"These, they're all buying your jersey."
"My jersey?"
Lance was a bit surprised; the number 39 jersey of a non-giant team was so popular.
"Yes, your number is often out of stock. This season, your jersey sales are leading by a huge margin. Lance, my child just managed to get one of your jerseys. Would you be able to sign it for him sometime?"
"No problem, no problem."
Because Lance rose so quickly, his mindset was still stuck in his youth training days, and he hadn't yet fully embraced the awareness of being a big star.
When he saw so many people scrambling for his jersey, Lance finally felt like a world-class superstar...
At the press conference, many Spanish media were present. They appeared aggressive and full of swagger.
In recent years, La Liga has dominated, earning the title of the "number one league."
Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atlético Madrid reigned supreme, with the Premier League, Bundesliga, and Serie A unable to compete.
No wonder these Spanish journalists were so arrogant, their questions were extremely sharp.
They asked about everything from the coaching staff's tactical arrangements, the team's recent injury situation, Champions League goals, and Lance's performance.
"The next question is for player Lance. This is a reporter from Mundo Deportivo... Lance, you are about to face the best attacking trio in the world, MSN. What are your expectations for this match?"
What kind of question was that?
Lance was stunned by the reporter's question.
"Of course, to win. We need to defeat Barcelona at home. Besides that, I have no other expectations."
"I just said, MSN is the best attacking trio in the world, and Barcelona's midfield is also the strongest in the world in terms of overall strength. The total value of their team is three times that of Bayer Leverkusen."
"And according to expert predictions, Barcelona is the biggest favourite to win the title this season, with a more than 70% chance of reaching the Champions League final."
"So, what is Bayer Leverkusen's chance of winning? Do you have any special tactical arrangements for MSN?"
The chubby reporter held the microphone, chin raised, looking arrogant.
His half-smile seemed to say: How are you going to beat Barcelona?
Next to him, press officer Miss Hannah frowned slightly and whispered a reminder:
"Lance, you don't have to answer; just give a perfunctory reply."
She was worried that Lance would be provoked by such an inexplicably superior question.
Lance wasn't angry; he even felt like laughing:
"I remember, last season in the Champions League quarter-finals, we eliminated Barcelona. Since we could beat Barcelona then, we have a chance to win a second time."
"If football matches were only judged by market value, then there would be no need to play; we might as well make it a card game and compare stats."
"The charm of this sport lies in the unpredictability on the pitch. Barcelona's past achievements only show that they played well in the past. When they meet our Bayer Leverkusen, anything can happen."
Although Lance's words were calm, the subtle sarcasm was evident.
The German journalists present all chuckled to themselves, whilst the Catalan reporter's face changed, and he quickly sat down in embarrassment.
His question had no real substance; it was purely to flaunt Barcelona's superiority and make Lance surrender without a fight.
But the person he least should have questioned was Lance.
Among the entire Bayer Leverkusen team, Lance had the strongest desire to fight Barcelona!
He had been waiting for this day all season!
The opponent was the Champions League winner from the original timeline!
I'm fighting the elite!
At Barcelona's press conference, Enrique and Xavi were equally confident about the match.
Barcelona coach Enrique stated confidently on stage:
"Tomorrow is an important match, but I believe the team will defeat Bayer Leverkusen with full effort and advance to the Champions League final without any suspense."
"We respect the opponent very much. Lance is an excellent young man. We have already made sufficiently detailed deployments against them. And Barcelona has a group of the best players in the world; every position is the strongest in the world. I believe tomorrow could be a big win."
Enrique's interview was relatively reserved, but Xavi had fewer reservations.
"At least 3-0. Barcelona can score three or more goals away from home. Why? Because we have the best attacking trio, the most harmonious team. No team is more harmonious than Barcelona."
Xavi fired the first shot in the battle.
The media didn't expect that the seemingly honest and simple Xavi would make such an explosive statement. He directly predicted a 3-0 victory before the match.
The Bayer Leverkusen players, of course, were not to be outdone.
In an interview with German television, De Bruyne's temper was also ignited.
"I admire Xavi very much, and I admire Barcelona's football philosophy. But they have won too much before, and they are too proud. Since no one has taught them to be humble, Bayer Leverkusen will teach them this lesson!"
"Champions League semi-final tensions escalate! Lance: We've beaten Barcelona before, and we can do it again."
"Xavi boldly predicts first leg of semi-final, De Bruyne fires back online!"
"Messi: Barcelona's goal is to win the Champions League, and we won't stop here."
"Champions League semi-final starting lineups announced: Belgium's Twin Stars vs. Barcelona's Trident."
In the tense atmosphere, fans from various countries spent the entire day browsing all kinds of pre-match interviews, predictions, and analyses.
Everyone had long been eager for this clash of the century.
Two hours before the match, both clubs officially released their starting lineups.
Bayer Leverkusen 4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper: Leno
Defenders: Kimmich, Maguire, Van Dijk, Nathan Aké
Midfielders: Rolfes, Lars Bender
De Bruyne, Lance, Son Heung-min
Forward: Firmino
Barcelona 4-3-3
Goalkeeper: Marc-André ter Stegen
Defenders: Alves, Piqué, Mascherano, Alba
Midfielders: Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta
Forwards: Messi, Suárez, Neymar
The match hadn't even started, but fans from both sides were already in a heated argument on Twitter.
"Go Barcelona! You are the Champions!"
"MSN is invincible! No one can beat them!"
"Revenge Bayer Leverkusen, beat them 5-0!"
"Barcelona's squad is so strong, how can little Bayer Leverkusen possibly win?"
"You have Messi, we have Lance, it's really hard to say who will win!"
"We'll eliminate Barcelona again this season! We have a saviour."
"Lance > Messi"
Late at night, in the Sina Sports studio in the capital, commentator Jian Jun, who had just rushed over from LeTV, was sweating profusely and immediately picked up the prepared materials to review them, aiming to be in the best condition to commentate on the match.
"Zhang, what do you reckon?"
"Hehehe, me? I feel that in terms of overall strength, Barcelona is still stronger. Bayer Leverkusen will have a tough game."
Zhang's face revealed concern.
Bayer Leverkusen's defence had weaknesses, and it would be difficult for them to withstand MSN's firepower.
"Perhaps the only chance of winning will depend on Lance's performance."
The semi-final that would decide the Champions League final ticket, a showdown at the pinnacle of Europe, all eyes of the world were focused on a young man!