By the time Ajax embarked on a flight to Lisbon, CSKA Moscow had already arrived in Lisbon and was staying in a pre-booked hotel, which the deep-pocketed Russians had chartered.

In addition to being used for the team, there were also 2,000 special fans specially invited by CSKA Moscow.

Among the 2,000 people is Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich.

It is well known throughout Europe that the Chelsea owners are inextricably linked to CSKA Moscow.

As soon as the team checked into the hotel, head coach Gasayev called a team meeting.

The 51-year-old Gasayev is one of Russia's most well-known head coaches, having coached teams such as Dynamo Moscow and Sparta for a long time, and then as the coach of the Russian national youth team, and then held the dual positions of coach of CSKA Moscow and the national team until July 04.

Now, a year later, he took CSKA to the stage of the League Cup final.

This is a grand event in Russian football, from President Vladimir Putin to ordinary Russian fans, everyone is looking forward to it.

But this time, CSKA will face Champions League winners Ajax!

Although Ajax's strength has been greatly damaged after selling five stars, the emaciated camel is bigger than the horse, Ajax is still a European giant, and no matter what, it is not something that CSKA can despise.

Gasayev also attaches great importance to this game, and the team went to Portugal early for training in order to better adapt to the environment and climate here, and wait for the arrival of Ajax.

"The biggest advantage for us in this game is our fitness."

In front of the players, Gasayev analyzed the situation on both sides of the team.

'As Champions League winners, Ajax haven't been very impressive in the Eredivisie this season and it wasn't until yesterday that they overcame PSV Eindhoven to top the league table, so they came to Lisbon after a tough fight.

CSKA players all nodded their heads in unison, apparently capturing the manager's intentions.

With the UEFA Cup final just three days after the battle, the journey of more than 2,000 kilometres in between, and the climate change from the Netherlands to Portugal, it is conceivable that Ajax will face more than just CSKA in the final.

'The first 45 minutes will be crucial and I can tell you for sure that Ajax will attack and they will do everything they can to get the back of the net in the first 45 minutes.

If you are at a physical disadvantage, you have to end the fight when your physical strength is still sufficient.

It can be said that Ajax has no other choice but to press out and play at the beginning.

As the head coach of the team, Gasayev knows very well that the overall strength of CSKA Moscow is still slightly inferior to Ajax.

'In the first half we were tasked with defending, defending well and not giving Ajax any chance to score, and at the same time, the second half will be our chance.

As long as the game entered the second half, CSKA had the physical advantage, and Ajax could only tie their hands when they were not fit, but this was also ideal.

"There is one person that everyone must pay attention to."

As soon as Gasayev spoke, a picture of the player immediately switched to the big screen behind him.

"His name is Yang Yang."

In the conference room, all the players of CSKA Moscow nodded, and everyone knew him.

'Everyone is familiar with him, he just broke a legendary record for Ronaldo, and yesterday he scored a brace in the Eredivisie to close the goal gap with Kuyt, and he has been in very good form in recent times and has a tendency to get stronger and stronger.

For players who play in the Russian league, Yang Yang is already a thunderous star.

In last season's Champions League final, he scored a stunning goal to bring Ajax a Champions League title.

Subsequently, he led the Chinese team to defeat Japan in the Asian Cup, winning the first Asian Cup championship in Chinese history, and he also became the youngest player in the Asian Cup in history.

As a neighbor of China, Russians have long heard of his name.

This season, Yang Yang's league top scorer battle with Kuyt has already spread from the Netherlands to European football, especially after Yang Yang broke Ronaldo's record, which has attracted the attention of European mainstream media.

Everyone is very curious, how far can this Chinese player, who is the same age as Ronaldo, go this season?

Gasayev was obviously extremely jealous of Yang Yang, and knocked on the podium hard, "Remember, he is the most dangerous player at Ajax and the most terrible killer, don't give him any chance, don't think that he will make mistakes." ”

In the conference room, the players of CSKA were also like a great enemy, and they did not dare to be careless.

How can a player who can compete for the top scorer in the Netherlands at the age of 18 and break Ronaldo's record?

"In theory, Yang Yang is a right winger, but in reality, his position is becoming more and more erratic, he will appear in any area where there is a threat, he can create a threat, right, center, left, in short, he is very dangerous."

'No matter where he is, our defenders have to limit him at the first time, not let him get the ball, can't let him shoot with his feet, can't give him the slightest chance.

Whether it was in the previous training or in today's tactical meeting, Gasayev has reminded the players enough to let them know the danger of Yang Yang, hoping to attract the attention of the players.

Of course, the big war is imminent, and Gasayev is not willing to overgrow the morale of his opponent and destroy his prestige.

He then told his players, "It's not like we have the impression that it's a final with a huge disparity, Ajax has sold five key players, it's not as good as it was when we won the Champions League last year, and we're not lambs to the slaughter, it's a close battle." ”

"Our fans in China are waiting for us to send back the news of winning the championship!"

…………

…………

For the big teams, the League Cup is somewhat frustrating.

But whether it's for teams in the Portuguese Super League, the Eredivisie or the Russian Premier League, the UEFA Cup is still very attractive in the end.

The final of the League Cup between Ajax and CSKA Moscow attracted a lot of attention from fans in the Netherlands and Russia.

The Alvalad Stadium has a capacity of more than 52,000 fans, but tickets were sold out before the final.

Not only will the Portuguese president and prime minister and a group of political dignitaries be present, but even Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a special envoy to Lisbon, and the Dutch government has also paid great attention to it.

In order to ensure the safety of the final, Portugal committed 600 police officers and 300 security personnel to maintain the scene.

CSKA Moscow used five planes to carry more than 2,000 Russian VIP fans to Lisbon airport on the day of the final, including Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

The gathering of many political and business celebrities has undoubtedly greatly increased the weight of this final.

Since Yang Yang will represent Ajax, China is also extremely concerned about this final, not only live broadcast, but also sent a media delegation to Lisbon to report on this domestic high-profile match.

After the UEFA Cup, they will also follow Ajax back to Amsterdam to continue following the Eredivisie weekend to meet the long-awaited demand from domestic fans.

This is not just a matter of Yang Yang alone, but a matter of the entire Chinese football.

…………

…………

CSKA Moscow wore red clothes and black trousers, and lined up in a traditional three-five-two formation.

The goalkeeper is Akinfeev and the Berezudski brothers are the right and right central defenders at the back, the two players are twin brothers, and both play in central defence, with Ignashevic in the middle.

In midfield, Zhirkov, Rasimic, Ardonin and Odiach were present, while Brazilian striker Daniel Carvalho burst forward.

The two forwards up front are Brazilian striker Wagner Lowe and Croatian striker Olich.

Ajax also played the main force in this game.

The goalkeeper arranged the veteran Hans Funk to start, the back line was a combination of Maxwell, Vermaelen, Heitinga and McConn, the midfield arranged the double midfielder Galasek and De Jong partner, Sneijder forward, Pinard, Charlie Steias and Yang Yang formed the front trident.

This is also the strongest squad that Ajax can put out at the moment.

It is not difficult to see from Ronald Koeman's still arranging two backs that he is still quite afraid of CSKA Moscow's counter-attacking ability, especially Brazilian forward Daniel Carvalho, who repeatedly reminded players to pay attention before the game.

Arranging Galacek and De Jong to pair in the back two is also likely to limit Daniel Carvalho.

CSKA Moscow adopts a three-guard approach, and the four-three-three winger tactics of Ajax are still somewhat disadvantaged, especially in the defense of the two wings.

The referee for this match was Graham Bol from England, who is a referee with a lot of experience in law enforcement, and in the pre-match tunnel he made it clear to the players on both sides that he wanted a smooth game and that he wanted both players to enjoy the game.

Maxwell and McConn were familiar with Daniel Carvalho and Wagner Lowe, and the four Brazilians stood in the queue of the two teams, chatting endlessly, and no one in the room could understand what was being said.

Yang Yang had learned a little Portuguese from Maxwell and McConn, and vaguely guessed that they were talking about things in Brazil.

For these, Yang Yang has no interest.

He stood silently at the end of the Ajax line-up, slowly adjusting his emotions and getting himself into the game.

Ronald Coman said that the first half was going to end the fight!