Chapter 155: The rehearsal of the championship battle

On 14 March, at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea face Manchester United at home to the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Manchester United are Chelsea's direct rivals in the league!

Although Chelsea and Manchester United are not bitter rivals, on the pitch, whenever there is competition, the fans are always in the blood.

By the time the players warmed up, the entire Stamford Bridge was almost full, leaving only a small amount of space to be left open – the stands in one corner of the pitch were closed for safety reasons.

After last season's downfall, Chelsea fans were holding their breath amid the ridicule of fans from other teams. They are back in contention for the title this season, and in an effort to clear the shame of last season, Chelsea fans are desperate to prove that Chelsea are still among the Premier League giants.

Stamford Bridge ended up with just over 1,000 Manchester United fans wearing red shirts, and the entire stadium was filled with blue Chelsea fans.

On the road, the United crowd was completely overwhelmed, a huge gap in numbers between the two sides, and the Reds fans could barely make a noise at Stamford Bridge.

"FA Cup quarter-finals!! Chelsea v Manchester United!! Andy Gray stood in the commentary booth, grabbed the microphone and yelled.

Yes, before the game even started, there was a loud noise at Stamford Bridge and the Chelsea fans made a huge noise. This match is a rehearsal for them to compete for the championship, and it is also a must-win battle for another championship!

Missing the Champions League made Chelsea's fans extremely aggrieved, they could only vent this anger on the domestic arena, the League Cup Champions League Manchester United took away, the FA Cup champion, Chelsea has to win it anyway, and winning the domestic double is Chelsea's biggest goal this season!

"It's so hot now, it's hard to imagine what it will be like when the two sides meet in the league on April 16th!!"

"Hah, it depends on what kind of atmosphere the Manchester United fans will create, you forget, that game was Manchester United's home stadium!" Gary Neville sat to Andy Gray's right.

'It's not easy to beat Manchester United away from home, it's not bad for Chelsea to win at home, get close to the FA Cup semi-finals, and win a cup at the end, because United have some advantage in the league and it's very difficult for Chelsea to turn the tables. Andy Gray said.

"Hey, Andy, I don't agree with that, I think Chelsea definitely still have a chance!!" On the other side of Andy Gray is the recently retired Chelsea legend, Frank Lampard!

While the commentators were chatting with each other, the players from both sides were already standing in the tunnel of the players.

Li Qingshan, who wore the captain's armband, stood at the front of the team, and behind him was goalkeeper De Gea.

Li Qingshan wore the captain's armband and held the team flag in his hand. The muscles of the whole body held the shirt up, almost as if it had passed a set of sports tights, and the broad shoulders and angular back muscles like a knife and axe made the Chelsea players who were secretly looking at the tall figure in front of them nervous.

Even though Hazard, who was standing at the end, was not tall, he could see the tall figure at a glance.

Eden Hazard made a name for himself early on, a Belgian talent who grew up to accolades from an early age. Even Hazard was once considered one of the candidates to break Messi Ronaldo's domination of football.

Hazard has also targeted Messi Ronaldo, but Li Qingshan was born, and almost in just a few years, he almost snatched the name of the first person in football from Messi Ronaldo's hands!

Now Hazard has one more opponent!

Hazard looked at the tall figure in front of him and gritted his teeth.

Diego Costa is also looking at Li Qingshan.

The two had a time working together at Atletico Madrid, but then the trajectories of the two sides were completely different.

Diego Costa left Atletico Madrid to join Chelsea in the Premier League, and he did win the Premier League trophy, but in the Champions League, Chelsea have never been able to make a breakthrough.

And Li Qingshan also came to the Premier League one season later, in the first season of Manchester United, Li Qingshan reached a new peak in his career, and the treble was shining, which also allowed Li Qingshan to break the monopoly of Messi and Ronaldo and win the Golden Ball!!

Diego Costa looked at Li Qingshan with some envy, he thought that Li Qingshan's luck was much better than his own, no matter where he went, there was a head coach who set him up as the absolute core and had unlimited firing rights.

And what about Diego Costa at Chelsea?

At the heart of Chelsea's forward line is Eden Hazard, the only one who has more tactical freedom than Diego Costa.

Diego Costa's heart burned with a sense of grief that he had never met, and suddenly he rang the phone call that Simeone had given him last week...

Maybe going back to Atletico Madrid would be a good option.

......

"Players from both sides walked into the pitch!! The race is about to begin!! "The commentators on the commentary table are ready.

The camera lens gives Li Qingshan a close-up.

Li Qingshan!! He was the key player in the game and the most eye-catching star on the pitch!! ”

Taking advantage of a series of pre-match ceremonies between the two sides before the game, the commentators began to broadcast the starting lineups of both sides.

"On the Chelsea side, the starting goalkeeper is Thibaut Courtois, and on the back line, Chelsea today is still playing in a back three formation, with Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, and Gary Cahill forming the back line, and before their deaths, they were two strong interceptors, the partner of N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic! And the wingbacks on the left and right are Marcos Alonso and Moses! Up front, Willian and Eden Hazard on the left and right, and Diego Coste in the middle! ”

"Manchester United, due to Di Maria's injury, he started with the youngster Rashford, in addition, the goalkeeper is still De Gea, the back line, left wing-back Sandro, the center-back combination is Hummels partner Rojo, right full-back Valencia, the three midfielders are Pogba, Herrera, Kramer's partner, the front right Mata, the left side of Rashford, the center Li Qingshan!!"

By this time, the players of both sides had already stood in their respective positions on the field, and after Conte and Ancelotti shook hands, they sat in their respective coaches' seats.

Referee Oliver looked at his watch and put the whistle in his mouth.

With the referee's whistle, the 2016-2017 season, the FA Cup quarterfinals, Chelsea vs. Manchester United, officially began!