Football: My AI System Provides Max-Level Predictions-Chapter 729 - 518: Hanging by a Thread! Barça Fights With Their Backs to the Wall for Group Second Place, Will Manchester City Agree?

Gracie's prediction regarding Tang Long's injury was very accurate.

The next day, Manchester City's entire medical team re-examined Tang Long's groin and unanimously concluded that he needed two weeks of rest before he could return to the field.

Tang Long's heart sank as he quickly calculated the schedule in his mind. Would this rest cause him to miss the final group match against Barça in the Champions League?

At this time, the hands of time quietly pointed to the end of November 2016, and the bitter cold wind indicated that December was about to arrive.

This is an extremely critical month. Whether Manchester City can maintain their position at the top of the league before the Christmas holiday depends on their performance this month.

Tang Long's injury was like a wake-up call, striking in Guardiola's mind.

Looking back from the start of the season to now, players like Ranocchia, Tang Long, and Gundogan have been the main forces in the team, frequently appearing on the pitch as the top three players with the most appearances, aside from the goalkeeper.

Guardiola thought privately that although Tang Long was injured and would miss two Premier League rounds, perhaps this was also an opportunity; it was a good chance to give Tang Long a long holiday to allow him to rest fully.

Fortunately, the injury being discussed was not serious. Guardiola had ample confidence that Tang Long would still be the most potent weapon in the team's attack upon his return.

The opponents in the 13th and 14th rounds of the Premier League were not strong.

In the 13th round, Manchester City easily beat Burnley away, 2-1. Back at home in the 14th round, they defeated Watford 2-0, securing all 6 points from the two matches.

Manchester City still maintained their position as league leaders.

However, Chelsea and Manchester United were still relentlessly pursuing them, also securing all 6 points in the two rounds.

During this period, Tang Long could not participate in the team's regular training due to his injury, but he did not stay idle.

In the AI Cloud Training Ground, he immersed himself in a virtual football world, sweating profusely.

He particularly focused on practicing the newly learned Fierce Tiger Shot.

During the training, he discovered the stark differences between this shooting technique and other shooting techniques.

Generally, professional players rarely exert their full strength when shooting the ball because it causes body deformation, making it hard to control the direction of the ball and often leading to misses or sending the ball flying into the stands.

This is why many coaches teach players from youth onward that when shooting, they should only exert seventy to eighty percent of their strength.

However, Tang Long found that to fully unleash the power of the Fierce Tiger Shot, he had to exert his full strength, applying it completely to the ball!

He tried repeatedly and was astonished to find that the more force he exerted, the more precisely and swiftly the ball charged toward the goal...

Suddenly, it was December 6th, the last round of the Champions League group stage, and Manchester City would host the visiting Barcelona.

For Barcelona, this was a real battle for survival!

After Manchester City defeated Borussia Monchengladbach previously, Manchester City's assistant coach Chiwo visited the hospital to see the two injured Monchengladbach players.

In a ward filled with the smell of disinfectant, Chiwo smiled and gently comforted the injured players, encouraging them to eliminate Barça and join Manchester City in advancing to the Champions League round of 16.

At that time, Chiwo merely said comforting words because he never envisioned Monchengladbach would explode with impressive energy upon returning home.

On Barça's front line, the MSN trio was originally highly anticipated, but they were all in poor form, as if cursed, scoring nothing.

It was unknown whether it was related to the previous round when the trio visited Messi's home and saw Tang Long leading Manchester City to conquer Celtic, but Barça played anxiously from the onset, their players' faces lined with anxiety.

They continuously passed and attacked, yet the more anxious they became, the harder it was to break through Monchengladbach's goal;

Instead, in the final stages of the match, Monchengladbach seized a counterattack opportunity, quickly advancing, and scored with a shot!

"Haha, we're going to win!" Monchengladbach striker Rafael kicked the corner flag.

This match greatly angered the Barça players, as they had forced themselves into a dead end.

The current standings were extraordinarily tight. After five group stage rounds, Manchester City led far ahead with 15 points, already securing the group top spot, while Barça and Monchengladbach had 7 points each as second.

In the last group stage match, Monchengladbach's opponent was the underdog of the group, Celtic.

Everyone believed Monchengladbach taking all three points was not an issue. After all, if they could defeat the mighty Barça, how could they not overcome the relatively weaker Celtic?

All the pressure, like a mountain, weighed heavily on Barça.

The Real Madrid mouthpiece, "Marca," gleefully stated:

"Whether Barça can advance from the group stage now depends on whether their good friend Guardiola will show mercy to his old club at the Etihad Stadium."

"This season, in the Champions League, the performances of Barça and Real Madrid are worlds apart. Both Real Madrid and Manchester City have seized 15 points in 5 rounds, securing first place in their groups early, while Barça is still struggling for a second-place spot in the group. It's hard to imagine that just two seasons ago they were the Champions League winners."

"Messi might slightly outperform C Luo in La Liga, but in the Champions League, C Luo is truly the king!"

"He's scored nine goals in five group stage matches, almost two goals per game. With such divine intervention, how can Real Madrid not be invincible?"

...

Round six of the Champions League group stage, in the evening.

The Etihad Stadium was dyed golden by the setting sun.

The biting cold wind cut across people's cheeks like knives, but it did nothing to dampen the fervor of the Barcelona supporters on their expedition.

They paraded in large groups down the streets of Manchester.

The stirring team anthem wafted through the cold wind, and the fans' bright scarves danced wildly with the breeze.

For Barça fans, this game is extremely significant, like clutching the last thread of hope in the dark. Only by winning the match can they firmly grasp the initiative to advance in their own hands.

The bleak autumn wind wantonly tossed Dilata's golden hair into disarray.

She wore a sleek and sharp black professional outfit, her tall figure particularly eye-catching in the crowd.

At this moment, she was leading her team in conducting random interviews amidst the lively scene.

Dilata first approached a group of fans waving the Barcelona flag. The flags flapped in the wind, as if narrating the team's glory and dreams.

"Hello, do you think Barcelona can advance from the group stage?"

The male fan loudly declared without hesitation, "Of course! We have Messi, Neymar, and Suarez, the world's most terrifying forward lineup! As long as they're on the field, victory belongs to us! Messi's dribbling, Neymar's breakthroughs, Suarez's positioning—Manchester City's defense simply can't withstand it!"

Dilata continued to ask, "But in the previous clash, Barça lost to Manchester City." She deliberately pressed on, wanting to see how he would respond.

The male fan was momentarily at a loss for words, so his companion chimed in, "We know Guardiola achieved great success at Barça before, his feelings for Barça must be deep. We beg him to spare Barça for old times' sake. And I heard Tang is injured? We hope he doesn't play at all, his ability is too terrifying. With him around, our Barça is under too much pressure!"

"Manchester City isn't just about Tang," Dilata smiled smugly, "Agüero, Bonazzoli, and Sterling are very strong too."

"No, no, no, you're wrong," the Barça fan said seriously, "Those three may be strong, but even together, they can't compare to just Tang!"

Leaving the group of Barça fans, Dilata moved to a group of Manchester City fans and interviewed a young guy.

"As a Manchester City fan, do you think Manchester City will go all out to win tonight?"

The young man excitedly waved the Manchester City scarf in his hand, saying loudly, "Absolutely! We must win all six matches! We want to show all of Europe how strong Manchester City is! Guardiola can't go soft on his old club; we must win this match!"

Dilata nodded with a smile and then turned to a slightly more composed middle-aged female fan next to the young guy and asked, "What's your take on the match?"

The female fan furrowed her brow, pondering seriously.

"To be honest, after this group match with Barça, it's immediately the Manchester Derby, and that's the most crucial!" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Guardiola should take a holistic view and let the team rest a bit. Especially Tang, he just recovered from injury; we can't let him get injured again."

"As for winning all matches to advance, what's the point? Even if we advance by winning all, will UEFA give us the trophy in advance? Since we've secured first place in the group anyway, we might as well preserve strength and give some younger players more opportunities. The matches later are key."

At this moment, the buses of Manchester City and Barça were gradually making their way into the parking lot, and fans started heading toward the ticket gates...

However, although Tang Long didn't appear in the starting lineup, he was still included in the squad list, and if all goes as expected, he will appear on the team's bench.

At the pre-match press conference, Guardiola attended with him, seemingly hinting at his comeback after being sidelined for two weeks.

People remember something Tang Long said at the press conference.

"Can Barça advance? That depends on whether Manchester City agrees."