That night the knockout rounds of the Champions League round of 16 began.
Serie A giant Juventus defeated Scottish Premier League powerhouse Celtic 3-0 in an away game. The media generally believed that Juventus' victory had eliminated the suspense of promotion.
Ligue 1 powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain defeated Valencia 2-1 away from home!
This result slapped the media in the face, because three days ago, when Malaga defeated Valencia 3-1 in an away game, the media believed that they were preparing for the Champions League, but they still lost to Paris Saint-Germain.
Both games were won by the away team, and Malaga fans were very happy. They believed that this meant that their team could also win a victory at the Estadio del Rey.
But that night they received a piece of news that put them in a bad mood.
…
The news that Li Chuanqi was knocked down by a teammate and injured during a training confrontation was quickly spread from Porto to all over Europe.
The quickest reaction was from the three major gambling companies in Europe, which immediately adjusted the odds for the match between Porto and Malaga.
The next morning, Malaga went to the Julong Stadium to adapt to the field training. After the warm-up training, Li Chuanqi did not conduct tactical training with the team, but performed leg rehabilitation training under the leadership of the assistant coach.
This phenomenon confirms the news that he was injured yesterday.
So Porto fans were very excited, thinking that their team's certainty of winning tonight had increased by a few points.
Malaga fans left messages on Li Chuanqi's social account, hoping that his injury would not affect the match against Porto.
Li Chuanqi replied to them that he is actively recovering and there will be no big problem in playing. Please rest assured.
On February 10th, heavy rain fell suddenly in Porto, and the temperature dropped to 17 degrees!
Joaquin looked at the heavy rain outside the window, shook his head and said, "What a damn weather!"
Not knowing what he thought of, he suddenly laughed.
In the afternoon, at the pre-match press conference, reporters asked Pellegrini about Li Chuanqi's injury. The Chilean engineer told them that Li Chuanqi had strained his right leg.
When asked if Li Chuanqi could play tonight, Pellegrini said: "It's hard to say now, it depends on the situation."
He did not explain whether it was based on Li Chuanqi's injury or the competition situation.
A reporter asked Porto coach Pereira what he thought of Li Chuanqi's injury. Pereira said: "After the draw results came out, we started studying Malaga.
It was discovered that although this team participated in the Champions League for the first time, they advanced with an undefeated record, which fully shows that they are a very capable team.
Li is Malaga's top scorer, scoring eight goals in just three group matches, which is very scary.
If he misses tonight due to injury, it will reduce the pressure on our defense."
………
As night falls in Porto and the lights begin to turn on, Malaga takes the hotel bus to the Dragon Stadium.
Along the way were fans wearing Porto jerseys, singing Porto's team anthem despite the heavy rain.
In Europe, for most people, football is a part of life, an indispensable part.
Half an hour later, the bus arrived at the Dragon Stadium.
The Dragon Stadium was designed by the famous architect Manuel Salgado and completed in 2003. It can accommodate 50,476 spectators.
The design of the stadium is very unique. The entire stadium uses steel structure and is natural.
The reason why the stadium has "dragon" in its name is because there is a dragon on the crown of Porto's emblem.
Therefore, the stadium is also named "Dragon".
The Dragon Stadium has been rated as a five-star football stadium by UEFA and is considered a venue that can host the UEFA Champions League final.
This is a majestic stadium.
The bus drove into the stadium, Malaga got off the bus, and the reporters who had been waiting for it called them.
However, no one from Malaga accepted their interview, and Pellegrini didn't look good.
Reporters believed this was because Li Chuanqi's injury affected his mood.
…
During the warm-up, the rain subsided a little, and Li Chuanqi still did not train with the team. He warmed up under the leadership of the assistant coach.
Porto fans are very happy and the media did not lie this time.
Twenty minutes before the start of the game, the media got the starting lineups of both sides. As expected, Li Chuanqi was not on the starting lineup, but was on the substitute list.
At 7:45, the starting players from both sides appeared in the tunnel, waiting to take the field.
Joaquin whispered to Li Chuanqi behind him: "When they see you, they don't know what their expressions will be."
Li Chuanqi said helplessly: "There is no way. When the team doctor was treating it yesterday, his old man told me not only to pretend to be injured, but also to pretend to be more realistic. This is also the first time for me to do such a thing."
Joaquin couldn't help but laugh.
When the Porto players saw Li Chuanqi, they were surprised and pointed at him.
By this time, they finally understood that Pellegrini and Li Chuanqi were putting on a show for them.
Damn, this smoke bomb... made us all think you were injured, but you ended up jumping into the starting lineup?
Li, is it necessary?
Coach, you were deceived by them.
…
In the broadcast booth, the Portuguese national TV commentator was introducing the starting players of both sides: "Friends, fans, in the 2112-13 season, the Champions League quarter-finals, the match between Porto and Malaga is about to begin!
Malaga is participating in the Champions League for the first time, so there is no record of meetings between the two teams.
Porto has only lost one home game in the last eleven home games in the Champions League knockout rounds. That game happened in April 2009, when Porto lost to Manchester United!
Porto remains undefeated in the past seven meetings with Spanish teams, with three wins and four draws.
The most recent defeat occurred nine years ago, when Porto lost to Real Madrid in October 2003.
Pereira arranged a four-three-three attack formation for Porto tonight, goalkeeper: Ayrton; four defenders: Danilo, Otamendi, Mangala, Alex Sandro, three midfielders
: Lucho Gonzalez, Fernando, Moutinho, three forwards: Izmailov, Martinez, Varela!
Pellegrini arranged a 4-2-3 formation for Malaga: Caballero; four defenders: Sergio Sanchez, Demichelis, Willigton, Monreal; double defensive midfielder