Chapter 297: Opponents

It's time to play!

On the day of the game, the Yingtai Arena was crowded.

Atletico Madrid fans wore their red and white striped shirts, and fans of the Sheets Army waved flags as they marched in droves towards the stadium for the final.

On the other side, there were also a large number of Luton fans, who wore their home shirts and came to the stadium from all directions.

However, this game is likely to be a disadvantage for Luton fans in terms of stadium numbers.

It's not because Atletico Madrid have more fans than Luton Town – mainly because Luton humiliated Hamburg 5-0 at the stadium just over a decade ago, which made the local fans feel little like Luton as a team.

There are a total of 50,000 tickets for the Yingtai Arena, and the two clubs each received 18,000 tickets, while the remaining 16,000 tickets were distributed to major sponsors, and the remaining 10,000 tickets were used as tickets for the neutral zone - the local fans in Hamburg were the biggest buyers of these 10,000 tickets.

Therefore, I am afraid that most of the fans in the neutral zone in this game are also hostile to Luton.

But the players in Luton don't care about that, they only beat their opponents in this stadium a dozen days ago, when more than 90% of the fans here were their rival fans, they were able to win big at that time, and now they have at least 18,000 of their own fans coming into the stadium to support them, what is there to fear.

The Intentia Arena was quickly packed, and the confrontation between the two sides began with the fans.

The Spaniards and the Englishmen shouted at each other in the stands, which made the local security services very nervous.

English football hooligans are known all over the world, but Spanish fans are not good sirs either.

Football is a manly sport full of hormones, and there are too many things like fans fighting each other on the football field.

But fortunately, Atletico Madrid and Luton don't have any historical grievances, and the two sides are scolding each other, but finally through the guardrail of the stands, no one directly climbs over the past to do it.

The players from both sides also quickly warmed up on the pitch, and the fans' attention was not on each other.

Fans of both teams cheered for their own teams!

This season's Europa League final is just around the corner!

........

Flores got the starting XI for Luton Town.

When he saw that the names on the list were not different from what he had predicted, the Spanish coach smiled contemptuously.

Compared to Atletico Madrid, Luton's biggest weakness is their bench!

Atletico Madrid is a giant in La Liga anyway, even if it has sunk a lot in recent years, but they still have a rich heritage.

At least on the bench, the quality of Atletico Madrid's players is more than a notch higher than that of Luton!

So Flores also knows that Gobo doesn't have much room to adjust in the starting line-up - his strongest players are these eleven.

Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel!

Mitchell Piran at right wing-back, Alex Sandro at left wing-back, and veteran Saul Campbell at centre-back partnered Jeffrey.

The midfield trio of Kevin Keane, N'Golo Kante, Drinkwater.

The front three are Antoine Griezmann, Vardy, Adam White!

This starting line-up is Luton's most used starting XI this season.

In the other dressing room, Gao Bo was also frowning at Atletico Madrid's starting list.

The starting goalkeeper for this game is David De Gea!

This season's Atletico Madrid has been a little vacillating in the goalkeeper position, judging from the number of appearances of De Gea and Asenjo, De Gea has made 17 appearances this season and Asenjo 21 this season!

As you can see from this number of appearances, Atletico Madrid are oscillating between two young goalkeepers, David De Gea and Asenjo.

Gao Bo drew a circle in the goalkeeper's position, which is where Luton can take advantage.

In terms of the center-back combination, the center-back combination of Atletico Madrid in this match is Juan Gutiérrez Juanito partnering the veteran Luis Perea.

Luis Perea has only recently returned from injury to reach this Europa League final, and in fact Atletico Madrid's really strongest centre-back combination would be a combination between Colombian centre-back Luis Perea and another 32-year-old Czech veteran, Tomás Ujfarusi!

However, these two veterans have been injured this season, often Perez has returned from injury, and Ujfarusi has been injured again, which has led to Atletico Madrid has been swinging in the center-back combination!

So although Atletico Madrid has two strikers, Diego Forlan is the second-best scorer in La Liga, and Aguero is also third in the La Liga scorers' list, Atletico Madrid, who have these two top scorers in the scorer list, can only finish eighth in the league - this is inseparable from their backline, and Atletico Madrid has conceded too many goals this season!

The number of goals conceded has also led to Atletico Madrid's attempts to make changes in goalkeeper and centre-back positions this season.

David De Gea and Asenjo swapped and went, but the young goalkeeper was not so consistent, and the two veterans who followed the centre-back could not stay together for long, leaving problems at the back.

Gao Bo drew a circle on Juanito, which is also the target of Luton's focus!

Left wing-back Antonio López, who is an academy player at Atletico Madrid and is currently the main international of Spain! With his outstanding performance in the league, he replaced the original Spanish left wing-back Del Horno as the main player of the national team.

To be able to become the regular main force of a strong team like Spain, Antonio López's strength is undoubted, as the team's youth product, now Antonio López has also replaced the former captain Maxi who left in the winter window to become the captain of the Sheets Army!

At right-back, Pablo Iniesta, who had played at centre-back, switched to right-back.

In the middle of the midfield is the combination of Paulo Assunção and Jos Jurado.

Paulo Assunção is a Brazilian midfielder whose main role is to defence, while Jurado is a skilled Spanish midfielder who is also the commander of Atletico Madrid.

On both sides, Reyes on the left and Simão on the right!

That's two names!

Compared to the middle of the midfield, the quick assault of these two on the flanks is the most important way for Atletico Madrid to attack!

And the forward line naturally goes without saying.

Diego Forlan partners Aguero!

Such a forward configuration can be called luxurious!

Gao Bo drooled as he watched Atletico Madrid's frontcourt configuration, and Gao Bo scoffed at Flores' midfield combination!

Compared to Jurado and Assunsan, Gao Bo is more impressed by the other two players on the Atletico Madrid bench who can play as central midfielders.

Raul Garcia and Cardoso Thiago!

Raul Garcia has a strong style of play, but he is also delicate at his feet. Last season he was still the absolute main force of Atletico Madrid, but after the arrival of Flores, Garcia's playing opportunities were obviously much less, and Raul Garcia only started 12 times this season, compared with last season's full attendance record, Raul Garcia was suddenly beaten into the cold palace.

This is mainly because Flores does not like Raul Garcia's style of play, he prefers the delicate and elegant Spanish midfielder like Jurado.

Flores came to Atletico Madrid under the banner of "returning to Spanish tradition" at Atletico Madrid, so naturally he preferred to use Jurado rather than Raul Garcia in midfield.

Cardoso Thiago was dropped by Flores for the same reason, with Cardoso's unpretentious style often referred to as the "outcast" on the pitch, and his steady and unpretentious style of play made him incompatible with Flores' admired Spanish midfield combination.

If the match had been played in the middle of the midfield with Raul Garcia and Cardoso Thiago, Gobo would not have dared to pay attention to the opposing midfield.

But since it's Jurado and Assunsan..... Then Atletico Madrid may have to suffer somewhat.

......

The warm-ups of the players on both sides on the pitch ended one after another, and the stands gradually quieted down.

Fans are waiting for the moment of the outbreak!

It's like the calm before a storm.

Everyone is waiting for the moment when the players from both teams will reappear on the field!

At that time, the atmosphere of the stadium will probably shake the whole city!