Chen Hero's visit to Napoli club owner De Laurentiis's private estate for dinner on the eve of the match did indeed raise some questions in the media.

However, Chen Hero remained unmoved.

He never cared about these voices anyway. He wasn't afraid of gossip or investigations. Besides, it was common in football for opposing sides to dine together before a match.

For example, before every Spanish El Clásico, the presidents of Real Madrid and Barcelona would host each other for dinner, with the host being the club whose home ground was being used.

If having dinner together before a match was problematic, then at least half of all clubs worldwide would be under suspicion.

So, it wasn't a transgression at all.

As for the rumors that he might transfer to Napoli, probably not even Liverpool fans believed them. With food, drink, and championships in Liverpool, why would Chen Hero start all over in Napoli, unless he had lost his mind?

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On match day, two hours before kickoff, the Stadio San Paolo was already packed.

Napoli fans had completely filled the stadium. Everywhere you looked, it was a sea of blue. Liverpool fans were far fewer in number in this blue ocean.

This showed how fanatical Napoli's fans were.

If Liverpool and Napoli were bitter rivals, this match would have been another extremely difficult one for Liverpool.

Fortunately, the relationship between the two sides wasn't tense.

Obviously, this was all because of Chen Hero.

So, the fans of both sides were quite friendly before the match, with no atmosphere of hostility.

If someone wanted to make trouble, this situation could be used as evidence that the two clubs, Liverpool and Napoli, had reached a tacit agreement…

But it would be pointless to bring up such unfounded speculation.

When Chen Hero came out with his teammates to warm up, his mood improved a little. He saw some banners supporting him in the stands.

At least he didn't hear overwhelming boos, which was good enough for him. Although De Laurentiis had told him last night that many fans in Napoli still missed him, he thought it was just comforting words. How many fans truly liked him and missed him wasn't up to him to decide.

Of course, he didn't know that after they finished warming up and returned to the locker room, those blue giant bear (fans) in the stands received instructions to slowly unfurl the huge banner from the top level of the stands.

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Martin O'Neill was confident that his team could beat Napoli, but he was still cautious and repeatedly reminded everyone in the locker room about the issues to pay attention to on the field.

Especially their home advantage.

He didn't think that because of Chen Hero and Sánchez, Napoli would hold back. As Chen Hero said, both sides would go all out.

Napoli's overall strength was behind Liverpool's. Their only advantage was their home field.

Chen Hero and Sánchez could both attest to how terrifying Napoli's fighting power at the Stadio San Paolo could be, and many older Liverpool players were also deeply impressed, because they had played against Napoli before.

To prevent Napoli from fully exploiting their home advantage, Martin O'Neill's requirement for Liverpool in this game was to launch an offensive from the start and maintain the initiative. Even if they scored first, they shouldn't retreat to defend, but continue to put pressure on Napoli.

Because once Liverpool retreated to defend, they would be handing the initiative over to Napoli. With the crazy atmosphere of the Stadio San Paolo, if Napoli went crazy, even Liverpool might not be able to stop them.

So, the best way was not to give Napoli a chance to go crazy at all.

Liverpool had to keep the rhythm of the game firmly in their hands.

Controlling the rhythm wasn't just about the midfielders; the most important thing was to create momentum.

With Chen Hero, Liverpool could easily create momentum.

Whether Liverpool scored or not, Napoli would be wary of Chen Hero and not dare to act rashly.

Napoli understood this better than other teams, because they had worked with Chen Hero for four years and knew exactly how powerful he was.

Therefore, they would be more afraid of Chen Hero's threat and wouldn't dare to act rashly.

This was also an advantage for Liverpool.

Ignorance is bliss wasn't just a derogatory phrase. Sometimes, we lose our courage because we know too much.

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As Napoli's coach, after Chen Hero left the team, many people speculated that Mazzarri would follow Chen Hero and leave Napoli. Especially after Dalglish was fired, and Liverpool was looking for a successor all over the world, many people favored Mazzarri, because he and Chen Hero had worked well together in Napoli.

But Mazzarri didn't go anywhere. Although he really wanted to coach a top club. He eventually stayed in Napoli and has coached them ever since.

After losing Chen Hero, Napoli was still able to maintain sufficient competitiveness in Italian football, occasionally secure a Champions League spot, and still be a spoiler for the title, all because Mazzarri had integrated the team so well.

This season, under Mazzarri's leadership, Napoli achieved a breakthrough since Chen Hero left. They once again broke into the Champions League knockout stage, but unfortunately, they met Chen Hero's Liverpool in the first knockout round. This almost meant the end of their Champions League journey this season.

If they hadn't met Liverpool, this team might have been able to go one step further.

But no one felt sorry for them. Neither the players nor coach Mazzarri felt it was a pity.

On the contrary, they were high-spirited, even a little excited.

Mazzarri was in the locker room, giving everyone a final pep talk.

"This game is a great opportunity for us to face the best team in the world. Many people think we are doomed to lose, but I don't admit that. I think we have a chance to win the game. Because this is our home, this is San Paolo!" Mazzarri said loudly, inspiring the players' morale.

Home advantage was indeed Napoli's biggest reliance.

"After four years, we meet Hero again. I know many of you are his friends. But I also know you won't hold back, will you?"

"No!!" Cassano shouted, waving his arms.

Everyone laughed, and more people shouted in the laughter: "No way!"

"No!"

"Yes!!"

"Hero said, guys, he said he wants to show us the best of himself. That's what I want to say to you—go and show Hero the best of Napoli! Don't let him underestimate us, don't let him be too proud, thinking that we can't do anything without him!"

Everyone in the locker room laughed.

This was indeed what they felt.

"So, let Hero see the progress and achievements we have made in the past four years!"

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The huge blue flag had been completely spread out in the stands, taking up almost the entire stand.

It was the most eye-catching thing in the stands of the Stadio San Paolo.

The television broadcast also frequently zoomed in, giving panoramic close-ups. The commentators focused on introducing what it was to the audience…

The blue flag featured a giant bear composed of white lines and blocks. Anyone familiar with Chen Hero would immediately recognize that the bear was identical to the tattoo on his back.

Napoli fans were no strangers to this flag. Because in the early years, when Chen Hero was still in Napoli, this flag often appeared in the stands of the Stadio San Paolo.

As long as you saw this flag, you knew that the blue giant bear was here.

Because of Chen Hero's outstanding performance, this fan organization was once a very influential fan organization in the stands of the Stadio San Paolo. They followed Chen Hero as he galloped and fought, sweeping across the world's powerful teams, and were truly glorious. However, with Chen Hero's departure, this fan organization also fell silent.

Unexpectedly, their iconic flag was now seen again in the stands.

Obviously, this was specially made by the blue giant bear to welcome Chen Hero. They had really put a lot of effort into it…

A player who had left the team for four years could still receive such a welcome when he returned to his former club. It was truly glorious enough! How many players could enjoy Chen Hero's treatment today?

Moreover, in Napoli, a fan base with very extreme love and hate, perhaps only Maradona could be compared with Chen Hero. But the problem was… Maradona had never been booed by Napoli fans for an entire season…

This showed what Chen Hero's status was in the hearts of Napoli fans today.

After the flag was spread out, the fans were all covered underneath. Everyone raised their arms, waving and shaking the flag, as if the wind was blowing.

Everything was ready, all that was missing was the protagonist!

Everyone eagerly looked at the exit of the player tunnel.

They knew that Chen Hero was in there, but they couldn't see him, they could only imagine…

As if knowing the fans' thoughts, the live broadcast screen at the Stadio San Paolo suddenly showed the scene in the player tunnel.

The camera was pointed directly at Chen Hero.

Chen Hero was chatting with Cassano, and there were other people surrounding them, everyone seemed to be chatting happily. It didn't look like the start of a Champions League round of 16 match at all…

Suddenly seeing Chen Hero on the big screen, a burst of cheers erupted in the stands of the Stadio San Paolo.

This was dedicated to Chen Hero!