The Champions League group stage has completed four rounds.
Manchester City tops the group, beating Barça!
The following rankings are Barça, Mönchengladbach, and Celtic.
Manchester City won all four group stage matches, claiming 12 points, and like Real Madrid, becoming one of the only teams with four consecutive victories.
Barça has two wins, one draw, and one loss, 7 points.
Mönchengladbach has one win, one draw, and two losses, 4 points.
Celtic has four losses, 0 points.
This match between Manchester City and Celtic holds significant importance.
On one hand, since the points difference between Barça and Manchester City is already 5 points, if Manchester City wins against Celtic away, the Blue Moon can secure the top spot in the group one round early!
After the Champions League determines the top 16, the 16 to 8 knockout rounds use a draw system, and the group winners have certain advantages in the draw.
If all goes well, in the last round of the group stage, Manchester City can return ho and face Barça without any burden or pressure, even if they lose, it won’t matter.
On the other hand, this match is Celtic’s last chance to compete for a UEFA Europa League spot!
The top two in the group advance to the Champions League knockout stage, while the third place directly relegates to the UEFA Europa League.
Although the journey in the UEFA Europa League is uncertain, as the dominant team of the Scottish league, bragging about entering the Champions League and returning ho at the bottom, how can the club maintain its dignity?
Therefore, both Manchester City and Celtic will fight fiercely, no holding back.
And for Barça and Mönchengladbach, this round is also a tough battle, especially for Mönchengladbach, who is fighting desperately and must defeat Barça to keep the suspense of competing for second place in the group alive.
...
pm on the night of the match, at ssi’s ho.
ssi, Neymar, and Suarez gather together.
On the wall behind the sofa, there’s a photo of Barça with the three trophies from the 2014-2015 season, showcasing their glorious achievents at Barça.
Since the two group matches are staggered, Barça and Mönchengladbach’s match is tomorrow, and with it being at ho in Camp Nou, tonight’s schedule is free.
The MSN trio have a great relationship, often gathering at each other’s hos; sotis at ssi’s, sotis at Neymar’s or Suarez’s.
They talk about everything, from life and family to off-field investnts, brands, and advertisents, sharing information and resources with each other.
Especially the bond between Suarez and ssi is closer; sotis Suarez even helps ssi pick up his kids from school.
However, this ti the three of them gathered at ssi’s ho in the evening, discussing only one topic, which is football.
In their eyes, there is a hint of nervousness and anticipation, eagerly hoping for Celtic to create a miracle and seize Itihad Stadium!
In that case, Barça would still have hope of claiming first place in the group in the final round.
"It’s ti to reveal my identity as a lifelong Celtic fan of 30 years!"
"Co on Celtic, beat Manchester City!"
"Celtic will win!"
"Scotland triumphs over England!"
A series of passionate words burst from his mouth, echoing in the living room.
Energetic Neymar has obviously prepared well for this match;
He managed to find a jersey he exchanged with an opponent during a previous match against Celtic, wore it, then picked up a small horn, jumping and shouting while doing a Brazilian samba dance.
Compared to Neymar’s exuberance, his teammate Suarez appears much quieter.
The Uruguayan leans against the soft sofa, his hands behind his head, his eyes fixed firmly on the match preview on TV, appearing quite worried.
"Ryo, I always feel that this seems ominous; Celtic is far inferior to Manchester City in every aspect!" Suarez slightly furrowed his brow, speaking slowly.
"Previously at Manchester City’s ho, they were cleanly beaten 0:3, without any resistance. Expecting them to beat Manchester City? I truly don’t believe it."
Earlier, ssi invited Neymar and Suarez to his ho to watch this Manchester City match, Neymar imdiately agreed, but Suarez seed reluctant, only coming over after ssi persuaded him for a while.
The reason was simple, just because Suarez didn’t believe at all that Celtic could beat Manchester City!
Suarez didn’t want to witness, along with his two best teammates, Barça completely losing the chance to fight for first place in the group after the fifth round.
Regarding Suarez’s pessimism, ssi remained indifferent.
The Argentine slightly tilted his head back, took a deep sip of the yerba mate in his hand, the rich aroma spread in his mouth, he let out a satisfying "ah" and displayed a contented expression.
"Want a sip?" ssi offered Suarez the yerba mate.
"No thanks! The straw has your saliva." Suarez shook his head.
"Disgusted by ? Then change a straw." ssi didn’t drink, took out a new straw and inserted it in the cup, passing it over.
"No worries, we each have our own straw, we can drink together." Suarez’s lips slightly curled upwards, his brow relaxed, he accepted the yerba mate, each taking a sip from their straw, two people drinking from one cup.
Suarez took a sip of the delicious yerba mate, enjoying it greatly, turned to see Neymar playing on his phone.
"Ney, why don’t you join us for a sip?"
Neymar saw ssi and Suarez close together at the yerba mate cup, each with a straw in their mouth, the warm picture amused him, he stopped playing gas.
Neymar usually doesn’t drink yerba mate, even if ssi offers him a new cup of it on ordinary occasions, he wouldn’t drink;
But now, seeing this funny scene, fun-loving Neymar also joined, pulled out a straw and inserted it into the cup.
Thus, three heads gathered around one yerba mate cup, vigorously sucking their straws, as if competing to see who finishes the tea first.
It’s a massive yerba mate cup, with a capacity of one liter, and quite heavy when held in hand;
The trio’s faces turned red, glaring at each other, observing who sips the fastest.
Neymar was holding back laughter from the start, seeing Suarez’s eyes bulging like a bull’s as he strained to suck, veins on his neck bulging, facial muscles slightly contorting from effort;
This comical look made Neymar burst into laughter, inhaling deeply at the sa ti, once again spitting a mouthful of yerba mate back through the straw.
The cup swirled, tea splashing like a fountain, drenched the three of them!
Neymar waved his hand, laughing and rolling on the floor, Suarez crouched down to grab Neymar’s neck, cursing loudly.
ssi touched the drops of water on his thick beard, watching the TV, already broadcasting the starting line-ups, thinking:
"Celtic definitely can’t win against Manchester City away, but returning to ho offers a chance, as long as they stay composed, swallow their pride, defend resolutely, and wait for the opponent’s mistakes, counterattack a ti or two, there might be an opportunity."
Seeing Tang Long in the player tunnel, neck stretching, recalling Barça’s first-round clash with Manchester City, ssi felt alert again:
"No, there’s one other crucial thing! Tang’s performance today must not be too good, that’s the prerequisite..."
Reviews
All reviews (0)