Chapter 192: Quarterfinal Opponent

Since Mallorca's Champions League match was played on Wednesday, they became the first La Liga team to advance to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, in another group match happening at the same time, Barcelona suffered a crushing 0-3 defeat away to Roma, surrendering their top spot. Roma moved up to first place, but they only had six points. Liverpool, sitting at the bottom of the group, had three points, while Barcelona had five, and Galatasaray had four. The group was in complete chaos.

The following day, Real Madrid secured a convincing 3-0 away win over Porto, maintaining a perfect four-game winning streak to qualify for the knockout stage as group winners, with Manchester United trailing close behind with nine points. Deportivo La Coruña wasn't to be outdone either, securing a 2-0 home victory over Juventus. They now shared the top spot in their group with Arsenal, both sitting at seven points, while Juventus and Leverkusen were tied with four points each—another group filled with uncertainty.

"Looking at this, finishing first in the group doesn't seem to matter much."

After reviewing the standings, José fell into deep thought. Being the group winner simply meant facing a second-placed team, but given the way things were shaping up, there wouldn't be any weak opponents in the quarterfinals. Whether it was first place or second place, the level of competition would be similar. That meant there was no need to waste too much energy battling Bayern for the top spot—especially with the pressure of the league to consider.

With that in mind, José still fielded his full-strength squad in the league match four days later. Since there would be a full week of rest afterward, he wasn't too worried about the players being overworked.

Mallorca, maintaining their strong form, secured a 2-0 away victory. Eto'o opened the scoring in the 15th minute of the first half with a close-range toe-poke inside the box, and in the 85th minute, Motta sealed the win with a well-placed shot into the far corner.

With a week to rest, Mallorca took full advantage of the break. If they were to progress further in the Champions League, this might be their only chance to enjoy some downtime.

The deeper the season went, the greater the pressure and intensity. In the past two seasons, Mallorca had only needed to focus on a single competition, making the workload manageable. But this season, juggling both the league and Champions League, coupled with a compressed schedule due to the World Cup, made things much harder for the players.

That's why José wanted to secure as many league points as possible now—because once the Champions League knockout rounds began, the priority would shift there.

Honor wasn't José's main concern. In his view, even if they didn't win the league title, advancing further in the Champions League would be a huge financial gain. Every step forward in the tournament meant millions in additional revenue. In contrast, even winning the league would only bring in around six million dollars in prize money and broadcasting rights. La Liga's revenue-sharing model was more restrictive than Serie A's, as clubs sold their own broadcasting rights. Given Mallorca's small local population, their potential earnings from TV deals were significantly lower.

That was also why José was thrilled that the system's rewards were tied to local population growth—more residents meant higher broadcasting revenue, as networks would be willing to pay more. While they would never match Real Madrid or Barcelona, at least they could reach Valencia's level.

Sure, winning the league would be prestigious, but right now, José cared more about the money.

After their week-long break, Mallorca's well-rested squad delivered another high-scoring performance at home. Eto'o bagged a brace, captain Nadal added one, and substitute Novo also found the net, securing a 4-2 victory over relegation-battling Osasuna. With 56 points, Mallorca remained atop the league table. However, José was slightly disappointed that despite some teams—like Deportivo and Barcelona—falling behind in the title race, Valencia and Real Madrid remained right on their heels. Valencia had 53 points, and Madrid had 52, keeping the pressure on.

The good news was that Mallorca could now focus solely on the league.

The bad news? So could Real Madrid and Valencia. Madrid, like Mallorca, had already secured qualification from their Champions League group, while Valencia had no European commitments, having abandoned the UEFA Cup to focus entirely on domestic competition.

For their midweek clash against Bayern, José deployed an ultra-defensive lineup. Gamarra and Van Buyten partnered at center-back, with Kaladze and Campano as full-backs. The midfield was packed with Marcos, García, Motta, and Novo—four defensively oriented players. Up front, he fielded the "Black Storm" duo—Eto'o and Drogba, a classic combination of speed and physicality.

José's intentions were clear—at home, he was content with just a draw.

Although Bayern wanted revenge for their earlier loss, they weren't as strong as they had been the previous season. Their mediocre domestic form also made it difficult for them to focus entirely on the Champions League. Compared to avenging a loss, their league position was a bigger concern.

Moreover, Bayern had to be wary of Eto'o's pace on the counter. With Drogba and Eto'o forming a textbook counterattacking duo, pushing too far forward could be disastrous for them. A single long ball from the back, a Drogba knockdown, and an Eto'o sprint could easily shatter their defense.

As a result, the match turned into a dull affair. Mallorca barely ventured forward, and their rare attacking moves relied on the two forwards linking up. Meanwhile, Bayern struggled to break through Mallorca's packed midfield. Both sides played cautiously, leading to a forgettable 0-0 draw.

"At least the home winning streak is over—that takes some pressure off."

After the match, José jokingly told Nadal, who simply shrugged. In a game where winning wasn't a necessity, being freed from the burden of maintaining a perfect home record could actually be beneficial—especially for a team like Mallorca that wasn't yet among Europe's elite. In that sense, José had a point, even if it was just self-consolation.

In the other match, Nantes picked up their second point of the second group stage, drawing 1-1 at home against Boavista. With no chance of progressing, both teams had little motivation left. Finishing third in the first group stage had at least meant a UEFA Cup spot, but in this round, third place led nowhere.

Prioritizing the league over Europe was meant to help Mallorca in domestic competition. However, their next league match ended in disappointment, as they were held to a draw by relegation-threatened Tenerife. Under immense pressure to survive, Tenerife played with a solid defensive setup, frustrating Mallorca's attack and earning a crucial point.

Despite still being bottom of the table, Tenerife's survival hopes were improving—now sitting on 32 points, just two behind 14th-placed Villarreal, with seven teams hovering around the relegation zone.

Fortunately, Mallorca wasn't the only team to struggle against relegation battlers. Valencia suffered a shock 1-2 defeat at the hands of last-placed Rayo Vallecano, while Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Barcelona at Camp Nou. Despite dropping points, Mallorca actually extended their lead at the top to four points, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief.

With a relaxed mindset, Mallorca traveled to Portugal. José rested key players like Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Motta, Nadal, and even first-choice goalkeeper Franco, opting for an entirely second-string lineup. Despite this, Mallorca easily defeated a disinterested Boavista side 3-0, with Novo, Klasnic, and Drogba all getting on the scoresheet. With four wins and two draws, they topped the group ahead of Bayern (who had four wins, one draw, and one loss).

With that, the Champions League quarterfinalists were confirmed: Mallorca, Bayern, Barcelona, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Leverkusen, and Deportivo.

"We're heading to England for the quarterfinals."

José told Nadal after seeing the draw.

As group winners, Mallorca could only face a second-placed team from another group. Given that they couldn't be drawn against Deportivo (due to the same-league restriction), their only possible opponents were Liverpool or Manchester United.

José had hoped for Liverpool. The once-mighty Reds were making their first knockout stage appearance in a decade and were nowhere near the level they would reach under Benítez, who was still in charge of Valencia at the time.

But Mallorca's luck ran out.

Their opponent? The Red Devils.

The reigning treble winners from just three seasons ago—Manchester United.