"APOEL is a very offensive team, especially after Manduca's explosion, their overall offensive progression has become smoother. In the group stage, they demonstrated a fluid attacking model, and in the Round of 16, they fought two fierce battles with Lyon, showing a tenacious spirit for prolonged combat!"

Mourinho stood in front of the tactics board, explaining APOEL's characteristics. He turned to look at the players and continued, "The good news is that Manduca, their attacking core, received a red card in the last match and is suspended for one game, so he cannot participate in the first leg of the Quarter-finals!"

"Therefore, our tactical focus will also adjust. Defense is the foundation, but on this foundation, the midfield must run more actively to help the defensive line reduce its burden, control the ball in the mid-front field, away from the goal. At the same time, the two wingers will tuck in; Suker and Bale need to operate in the ribs. Once Kaka leans towards the left wing, Suker will naturally cut into the middle."

"Your Cross will give APOEL's defense a temporary defensive gap, and I believe you can make good use of this gap!"

Kaka raised his hand: "What about the right side?"

Mourinho: "The right side will primarily focus on wing attacks, without cross-running. Bale will operate on the wing or in the ribs!"

"When operating on the wing, Kaka will have more space, coordinating with the left wing to create attacking openings!"

"When Bale is in the ribs, Srna, as the full-back, will push forward appropriately. So you must pay attention to the forward runs on the right wing. Don't just focus on the left wing; look at the whole picture, not just the attacking wing. Broaden your horizons and make full use of the width of the field for transitions! Understand?"

Everyone shouted, "Understood!"

The tactics lesson ended, and so did the day's training.

Compared to before, the training camp ended a bit earlier; by less than three o'clock, all of the day's training was complete.

Some substitutes began to voluntarily come to the field for extra training, especially promising players like Carvajal, who were very enthusiastic about extra training, constantly improving themselves.

Once a starter has an issue, they can quickly make up for the combat power!

Suker and Srna leaned against the stadium's fence, chatting.

"APOEL isn't a problem, but after we beat them and enter the Semi-finals, there will be no so-called weak teams!"

Srna grinned, "Bayern's recent form is really good!"

"Are you talking about Mario?" Suker asked.

Srna nodded, "I didn't expect this guy to be able to surpass you in the Champions League!"

Mandžukić is currently at the top of the Champions League's top scorer list.

Compared to the original timeline, this guy has also made significant progress.

In the original timeline, he was the top Croatian scorer. Now, with a better growth environment and more tactical resources, his explosion is a natural occurrence.

Moreover, at Bayern Munich, Mandžukić replaced Olić and partnered with Robben and Franck Ribéry, forming a very sharp attacking trident.

Mandžukić's strengths are his ability to get to the ball first and his goal-scoring instinct.

Therefore, when the two wingers can continuously deliver crosses, his statistics naturally rise.

However, how long this situation can be maintained is hard to say.

After all, as Robben's form gradually explodes, it will inevitably lead to the 'Robben problem' of the original timeline.

At that time, Bayern Munich's attacking focus will also shift towards the wings.

Also, Suker is not worried about Mandžukić.

To be honest, it's not that he looks down on Mandžukić, but his characteristics are just that.

Mandžukić's attacking style is too singular; he is very good at getting to the ball first and has a keen goal-scoring instinct.

This characteristic allows him to have an extremely strong burst when facing weaker teams; in simple terms, it's easy for him to dominate weaker opponents.

However, when encountering strong team defenses, a singular attacking model will definitely be targeted.

For example, Real Madrid's defensive line, Ramos and Pepe, will mark this guy tightly.

Real Madrid is very experienced in aerial defense, and Mourinho also pays special attention to this aspect, so a striker like Mandžukić is the type Real Madrid fears least.

Unless his physical ability is as strong as Drogba's level, he really won't be able to tear open Real Madrid's defense.

Moreover, looking throughout history, how many Drogbas are there!

In the evening, Suker returned to the villa and began to pack his luggage.

Real Madrid will travel to Cyprus tomorrow to prepare for the first leg of the Champions League Quarter-finals.

"Don't worry about things at home, I'll take care of Sukic!" Zorancic said.

Before finding a nanny, he was the nanny.

Suker nodded: "How is the football school doing?"

Before Zorancic could speak, Sukic on the side chimed in, "I'm doing very well, the coach is praising me!"

Suker glanced at Sukic, then nodded: "Alright, I know!"

Sukic immediately drooped his head.

Zorancic couldn't help but grin; Suker just wouldn't give a compliment!

Suker looked up at the time: "It's eight o'clock, you should go back to sleep!"

"It's only eight o'clock!" Sukic pleaded, "There's still…"

Suker turned his head to look, and Sukic immediately rushed towards the stairs.

"I'll go wash up first!"

Suker opened his mouth, then couldn't help but shake his head.

Zorancic sighed from the side, "Aren't you too strict? It's only eight o'clock, and he still has cartoons to watch!"

Suker turned his head: "I didn't say he couldn't watch them. I originally wanted to tell him to watch them before going to bed."

Zorancic: "You two lack communication!"

Suker sighed: "I don't have time to think about so much; right now, I can only devote my energy to the matches."

Zorancic nodded.

He understood that Suker was under a lot of pressure this season.

Both the Golden Boot and the Champions League title defense.

It could be said that each one was incredibly difficult.

At this time, to ask Suker to be distracted and truly consider the child's emotions, that would indeed be asking too much.

"When I leave, you take him out to play. I remember there's a children's park in Madrid; he should like it there!"

Suker said.

Zorancic: "Is it possible he wants to go with you!"

Suker blinked, scratched his head, and sighed: "So troublesome. You take him first. After this season ends, I'll spend some quality time with him!"

Zorancic nodded: "Alright!"

The next day, Suker left the house in a car, seen off by Zorancic and Sukic.

Upon arriving at the training base, they transferred to a bus to the airport.

Around 1 PM, the entire Real Madrid team arrived in Nicosia, the Capital of Cyprus.

APOEL is a team belonging to the Cypriot First Division. Since its establishment in 1964, it has almost dominated the Cypriot League for over half a century.

They are the team with the most League Championship titles in the Cypriot League.

Cypriot First Division League Championship - 26 times!

Cypriot Cup Championship - 20 times!

Now they have even unlocked the achievement of reaching the Champions League Quarter-finals, making them arguably the most representative and successful team in Cyprus.

Cyprus is an island nation located in the Eastern Mediterranean.

It borders Turkey to the west, Syria to the east, and Egypt to the south.

Therefore, the arrival of Real Madrid not only caused a stir in Cyprus, but also attracted a large number of fans from neighboring countries who began to gather in Cyprus.

They all came to catch a glimpse of Real Madrid's stars.

Thus, when Real Madrid arrived in the Capital of Cyprus, fans from various countries gathered there, constantly cheering and shouting for them.

Especially Suker; all the way through, he signed too many autographs, and his hand was aching.

"That's why pretending not to see is the best!"

Suker walked into the bus, shaking his arm.

When he signed one, others swarmed him, and Suker had no choice but to sign a second, then a third.

If Mourinho hadn't urged him, Suker wouldn't have been able to get away.

But after all, they were his fans, and Suker tried his best to meet their demands.

Taking the bus, they quickly arrived at the hotel where they would be staying.

Hahahahaha!!!

Pat pat pat pat!!!

Laughter and sounds of chasing and playing came from the hallway.

You didn't even need to go out to know who it was.

Ramos, Suker, Srna, and others were playing around. Although they were fathers at home, here, they didn't have to be so serious.

After playing for a while, everyone returned to their rooms.

"Suker currently has twelve goals. A few more goals and he'll be the top scorer. Let's help him get the top scorer title back!"

Benzema proposed.

The others also nodded in agreement.

They trusted Suker's shooting skills; as long as they created opportunities for Suker, he would surely score.

Moreover, although this match was an away game, APOEL's attacking core player, Manduca, was suspended due to a red card, which would inevitably reduce their offensive power.

Furthermore, given APOEL's tradition of 'attacking till death,' they wouldn't shrink back to play defensively, making this a good opportunity to rack up goals.

"It's good to score goals, of course, but it has to be on the premise of winning the game," Suker said.

"The coach promised me I'd play the full match, so, let's play normally first, secure the advantage, and then go for goals if the conditions are right!"

While the Golden Boot was important, the Champions League title was more crucial.

After all, this concerned his 'salary reduction issue,' and Suker didn't want to face a pay cut for failing to win the Champions League again.

Furthermore, although Real Madrid's locker room still had hidden dangers and turmoil, it had calmed down, with all parties maintaining a balance.

After all, no matter how crazy they were, they wouldn't cause trouble at this critical juncture.

The championship was their ultimate goal, aligning with their interests.

Therefore, stirring up trouble at the beginning of the season was one thing, but no one would tolerate it now.

Around 3 PM, Real Madrid players went to the training ground for practice.

This was a training session to maintain their form, so there were no scrimmage matches or similar activities.

It mainly consisted of warm-up runs, shooting drills, and rondo, combining fitness maintenance with engaging training methods.

After an hour of training, once it had achieved its intended effect, Mourinho decisively called it a day.

APOEL fans did not disturb Real Madrid players' rest in the evening, so they had a good night's sleep, and after waking up the next day, they began preparing for the evening match.

After breakfast, they had another hour of training to ensure their ball control and adjust their form in advance.

After lunch, they went to the stadium in the afternoon to get accustomed to the pitch.

After completing the pitch walk, they returned to the hotel, ate some easily digestible food that wouldn't burden their stomachs, and then waited for the match to begin.

Night gradually fell, and neon lights flickered.

GSP Stadium is APOEL's home ground, a stadium capable of holding over 20,000 people.

Compared to the number of fans coming to watch the game, the stadium was a bit too small to accommodate them all.

And with such enthusiasm, ticket prices were driven incredibly high by scalpers.

Among European clubs, clubs themselves often combat scalpers, implementing a series of policies and ticket selling methods to prevent intermediaries from profiting.

However, the profession of 'scalper' can never be eliminated.

Just like the ticket prices for this match, which had been inflated tenfold, yet even so, fans remained enthusiastic.

The entire GSP Stadium was packed to the brim.

APOEL's match attendance is not high; even in Europe, not all Leagues, unlike the mainstream or Big Five Leagues, have full stadiums for every match.

More often, there are many empty seats during less important matches.

However, today, due to Real Madrid's fame, GSP Stadium was packed, and tickets were extremely hard to come by.

Despite only having 20,000 people, the atmosphere was incredibly lively.

Especially APOEL fans, as the hosts, showed almost no mockery towards the away team, instead singing loudly, cheering, and enjoying the match and the atmosphere.

And when both teams' players entered the field, and Suker's name appeared on the big screen.

The stadium DJ roared: "Real Madrid's number 9!"

All twenty thousand-plus fans in the stadium cheered loudly and joyfully.

Suker!!!!!!!!!!!!

Facing the enthusiastic fans, Suker also generously waved, constantly greeting the various stands.

The starting lineups for both teams were as follows:

APOEL (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Chiotis.

Defenders: Poursaitidis, William, Oliveira, Paulo Jorge.

Midfielders: Pinto, Morais, Trickovski.

Forwards: Almeida, Charalampidis, Alexandrou.

Real Madrid (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Casillas.

Defenders: Srna, Carvalho, Pepe, Marcelo.

Midfielders: Granero, Kaka, Alonso.

Forwards: Bale, Benzema, Suker.

From his position on the coaching bench, Mourinho looked towards the opposite half.

His focus was on APOEL's number 26 player.

This player, named Nuno Morais, had been with Mourinho during his time at Porto, and when Mourinho led Chelsea, he was also brought to Stamford Bridge by Mourinho.

Based on his training performance, he earned a contract and was even groomed by Mourinho as Carvalho's successor.

However, Nuno Morais failed to live up to Mourinho's expectations; he only made 9 appearances for Chelsea before transferring away in 2007.

"Morais is playing as a defensive midfielder!" Faria grinned; "And he's a lone defensive midfielder!"

Mourinho also raised an eyebrow.

According to his memory, Nuno Morais couldn't play as a lone defensive midfielder; he lacked that kind of defensive coverage.

Defending one side was already difficult for him, let alone performing comprehensive defensive coverage like a top defensive midfielder.

Or… had he missed some of this guy's talents?

Mourinho looked at the field with some curiosity.

Meanwhile, on the field, both teams' players had completed their preparations, with APOEL kicking off first.

Beep!

The moment the whistle blew, Suker and Real Madrid's other forwards quickly pressed forward, forcing APOEL to bring the ball out from their backfield.

APOEL also completed a transfer along the wing, successfully bringing the ball out by relying on their winger's retreat.

But soon, they encountered Real Madrid's positional and coordinated defense in the midfield.

Almeida could barely find a forward passing option; he could only pass back to defensive midfielder Morais.

Morais controlled the ball, just about to shift it to the other side.

At this moment, Suker suddenly stepped forward.

Morais's transfer motion paused.

But it was this hesitation that made him miss the opportunity to pass; Benzema came charging from behind, and the two immediately engaged in a physical struggle.

Suker watched them closely from diagonally behind, ready to pounce on any loose balls.

Sure enough, Benzema successfully poked the ball to him.

However, Suker did not attack forward, because APOEL's players retreated very quickly.

Suker pulled the ball, turned, and passed back, sending the ball to a safe position, and slightly lowered his voice: "Slow down!"

Suker turned his head again to look at APOEL's half.

It felt a bit strange.

These guys' movements seemed very stiff!

Could it be that they hadn't warmed up sufficiently?

"They're too nervous!"

Mourinho shook his head; he immediately saw the problem.

APOEL's players were too nervous.

This wasn't due to insufficient warm-up, but rather, based on their nervous state of mind, they had lost their usual judgment.

Passes weren't decisive enough!

Decisions weren't quick enough!

And in these moments of hesitation, Real Madrid was fully capable of turning over possession.

"Morais isn't suited to play defensive midfield!" Faria also shook his head.

Mourinho used to train Morais as a center-back.

His body was strong enough, and his judgment of the ball's landing point was accurate.

His advantage was stability, his disadvantage was being too stable.

Sometimes during counter-attacks, he would often choose to make a safe pass, causing the team to miss counter-attacking opportunities.

Back then, Mourinho gave up on Morais precisely because this guy dragged down the tempo.

And now, APOEL had placed him at the defensive midfield position, which is most crucial for tempo, and as a lone defensive midfielder at that, this was just playing with him!

Could Morais play as a lone defensive midfielder?

Did he have that ability?

Mourinho shook his head and sighed.

Nuno Morais would soon become Real Madrid's breakthrough point for forward attacks, and with Suker's keen nose, he wouldn't miss this problem.

Sure enough, Mourinho saw that Suker had already quietly moved to a position beside Nuno Morais.

This meant Real Madrid was about to start prying open the central axis!

No longer relying on the wings, but directly creating a gap in the central axis, tearing open the defense in the most forceful way.