In the current Premier League standings, a notable detail has caught people's attention: Arsenal has climbed to first place, a staggering twenty points ahead of second-placed Manchester City.
Some have already calculated that if they can extend their lead by another four points in their next two matches, Arsenal will secure the league championship with eleven rounds to spare.
This would be a historic record; a team capable of clinching the title eleven rounds early demonstrates truly formidable strength. Considering the league comprises thirty-six rounds in total, winning eleven rounds in advance means nearly a third of the season's matches would be unnecessary.
Cao Baming has already firmly grasped the Premier League Golden Boot award. Although the ceremony has not yet taken place, his closest competitor, Haaland, is now a full nine goals behind him.
Everyone is predicting that as the Premier League season progresses, this gap will only widen in the coming matches, with no one able to prevent this outcome.
The era of "dual protagonists" has long since ended. At this moment, there is only one god in the world, and that is Cao Baming.
Having secured the league title, Arsenal's players will be even more competitive. The truly important prize now is the Champions League. If Arsenal can reach the final and win the Champions League, then the Ballon d'Or will be the most undisputed award in history, a stark contrast to initial predictions.
However, there is a possibility that Arsenal could be eliminated in the Round of 16 by Real Madrid, in which case the suspense might continue.
Cao Baming participated fully in the last two days of training. At this time, another piece of good news arrived: Odegaard has recovered from his injury and can be included in the team's matchday squad.
On the final day before the match, inside the Real Madrid dressing room.
The players, having just completed their morning training session, began chatting on their way back to the locker room.
"Our next opponent is Arsenal. I can't believe we drew such a deadly tie!"
"Ah, luck is unpredictable. Sometimes, if fate doesn't want you to win, you just can't, no matter what you do."
"Arsenal is too terrifying right now. I heard they beat Chelsea 8-1 two games ago. Can we really say our defense is that much stronger than Chelsea's?"
"Don't say such discouraging things. Arsenal is strong, but so are we. The outcome is still uncertain. The teams in the Premier League couldn't stop them because they hadn't seen the world."
"During the match, I'll take care of Cao Baming. You guys focus on scoring, I'll defend him!"
Casemiro said confidently.
"That's what you said last time, but what was the result? Have you forgotten?"
Everyone around them couldn't help but laugh.
"Besides, Cao Baming isn't a forward, he's a defender. What's the point of defending him if you can't stop him?"
Thinking about it carefully, the depth and strength of this Arsenal squad are essentially carried by Cao Baming alone. Even if he doesn't participate in the attack and focuses all his energy on defense, there are still world-class scorers like Messi, Henry, and Martinelli upfront.
The defense is also world-class. Without others, it's hard to break through their lines with conventional tactics, unless it's a surprise swift counter-attack.
It's no wonder the manager has been so serious and focused lately; this is indeed a difficult challenge.
"To be the first to lose to Mrs. Cao would be too embarrassing, after all, we are Real Madrid."
At this moment, Ancelotti was still diligently studying tactics against Arsenal, genuinely wanting to win and not lose this match.
But he also knew clearly in his heart that, rationally speaking, the probability of winning this match was not high, not exceeding fifty percent.
One piece of good news was that after extensive research, the coaching staff had discovered a flaw in Arsenal's formation.
The importance of this flaw cannot be overstated. Simply put, by seeing this loophole, they had found a fatal weakness in the seemingly flawless Arsenal.
Cao Baming's free-roaming playstyle was precisely the cause of this vulnerability. The true way to defeat Arsenal was to gain possession when Cao Baming was on the offensive and launch a swift counter-attack.
This was the only method to score against Arsenal's defensive system.
In other words, offense was the best defense.
Most teams facing the formidable Arsenal would adopt extreme defensive tactics, parking the bus in front of their goal. But in his view, this was entirely wrong.
The tactics he briefed his players on were to focus all their attention on offense, as usual, putting pressure on Arsenal's defense, preventing them from allocating energy to attack, thus weakening the opponent's firepower from another angle.
This approach was far more effective than strengthening defense, especially when facing Arsenal.
This might seem counter-intuitive, but it was the reality. On this matter, Ancelotti had absolute faith in his judgment.
Whether viewed by the club's hierarchy or every player within the team, this was a bold, almost insane attempt.
To have the entire team surge forward with even more offensive firepower than in any other league match, sacrificing the defense, would be remembered if successful but would undoubtedly be heavily criticized if it failed.
They needed this Champions League trophy, and they needed it urgently.
The reason was obvious: if Real Madrid wanted to build the future "Galacticos," they had to prove their worth. The only way was to demonstrate their strength through achievements, proving they were a desirable club to join.
Only then could they recruit superstars like Ronaldo, Mbappé, and Kanté without encountering significant difficulties or obstacles.