Chapter 176: From the Bench's Perspective

Chapter 176: From the Bench's Perspective

After a narrow victory over Chievo, the entire Udinese team flew to Sofia, Bulgaria's capital, to prepare for their fifth-round Champions League group stage match against Ludogorets.

Since Ludogorets' home stadium, the Ludogorets Arena, only seats 8,000 and does not meet the Champions League requirements, their home games were held at the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia.

With Udinese already having secured their spot in the next round two matches earlier, coach Guidolin wasn't overly concerned about this group stage match and made significant changes to the starting lineup, leaving captain Di Natale behind in Italy. Bruno, although part of the traveling squad, was likely to start on the bench.

On the evening of the match, Udinese held a pre-match meeting where Guidolin announced the starting lineup. The goalkeeper was Scuffet; the defense comprised Urtu, Maguire, Bubonjic, and Piris; in midfield, Kante played deep, with Badu and Pjanic centrally; up front were Muriel, Tyro, and Aguirre.

Bruno's participation, specifically the timing of his entry, would depend on how the match unfolded, but he was expected to play in the second half.

On the match day, after breakfast, Udinese held a tactical meeting focused on the set-pieces, with Guidolin meticulously planning each player's role. Following the meeting, everyone conducted light recovery training in the park adjacent to the hotel. After lunch, rest, and afternoon tea, they headed to the stadium for final preparations.

The Vasil Levski National Stadium, similar in size to Udinese's Friuli Stadium with a capacity of 43,000, had a low attendance rate. This was partly because Ludogorets' hometown of Razgrad is 350 kilometers away and only a small supermarket town with a limited population. Bruno noticed only about half the seats were filled.

After warming up, the team returned to the locker room in silence. Guidolin entered and began the pre-game pep talk: "Alright, everyone, I won't say much. Everything that needed to be said has been said, and we're prepared."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Even though the club has already qualified for the next round, let's not take this match lightly. We still need to compete with Real Madrid for the top spot in our group, which will decide our opponents in the knockout phase."

His words visibly boosted everyone's morale.

"But, let's not feel pressured. Just enjoy the game, give it your all, and leave no regrets. That will be enough."

After his speech, Guidolin embraced each player set to take the field.

"The players are now walking out led by the referee," the broadcast began. "We're about to kick off the 2014-2015 UEFA Champions League Group B round five match."

The commentators introduced Udinese's lineup: "Goalkeeper Scuffet; defenders from left to right are Urtu, Bubonjic, Maguire, and Piris. The midfielders are Badu, Kante, and Pjanic, with Muriel, Tyro, and Aguirre upfront."

"It's clear that with qualification already secured, Guidolin has rotated the Udinese squad significantly. Only Kante is a starting midfielder, while central figure Bruno is on the bench, and captain Di Natale isn't even in the squad."

"For the home team, they fielded nearly their strongest lineup since Ludogorets are only four points behind Real Madrid and still have a chance to advance from the group, or at least compete with Basel for third place to enter the Europa League."

The game began with Udinese opting for a conservative approach but not too defensively deep, maintaining a compact three-line formation. On the road, they decided to counter. Even a draw would be acceptable for Udinese under these circumstances.

Ludogorets controlled the ball but only found their first gap in the third minute when Espinho made a through pass into the box that Abalo chased. Udinese's goalkeeper Scuffet was quick off his line to smother the ball.

Udinese also launched a counter-attack, sending a long ball to Tyro, who was tripped by Diakov while advancing. The referee called the foul, awarding Udinese a free kick near the front, but no card was issued.

The first half ended goalless as both teams played cautiously without creating significant chances.

At the halftime whistle, Bruno quickly stood up from the bench and jogged to the sideline. The players from both teams were visibly exhausted as they walked off the field, high-fiving Bruno and other substitutes before heading to the locker room.

Bruno and the others stayed to warm up on the field. The first half had been stagnant, with neither team taking many risks. Ludogorets, in particular, were very conservative, a tactic that had served them well in reaching the Champions League proper.

In contrast, Udinese was more active, especially on the wings with Urtu and Piris looking lively. Coach Guidolin knew his defense was fragile despite their early qualification and kept a tight rein on his players to maintain a solid defensive line.

(End of Chapter)