Wang Shuo even walked to the front of the line and exchanged a few words with Puyol when they crossed paths.
Barça's starting lineup for this match was rather interesting. Originally, Barça had three left-backs: Abidal, Adriano, and Maxwell. However, during the winter break, Maxwell transferred to PSG in Ligue 1. Funded by a consortium from Qatar, the Parisian club now boasted immense financial power—reportedly rivaling that of Manchester City's Abu Dhabi United Group—and had been recruiting extensively. Unfortunately, Abidal's liver issues flared up again in March, and Adriano suffered an injury just a week ago. This left Barça with no available left-backs, forcing them to deploy Puyol in that position.
Goalkeeper: Valdes;
Defenders: Puyol, Pique, Mascherano, and Alves;
Midfielders: Busquets as the holding Midfielder, with Fabregas partnering Harvey ahead of him;
Forwards: Iniesta, Messi, and Sanchez.
