Chapter 964: Preparation for the Next Game!

Meanwhile, the players themselves just treated everything casually. Not a single one of them knew that behind the team’s incredible performance, the team’s financial problem was a ticking bomb waiting to explode straight in front of their face.

No, right now, their focus was completely on the pitch, where they were preparing for the next round of the Bundesliga.

This time, though, the atmosphere died instantly as they knew what was awaiting them next week.

After playing for 17 matches, they had already met all of the teams in the league once, so it was time to go back to their very first opponent in this season, which was none other than Bayern Munich itself, the best team in the world right now.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say. So far, not only did they manage to top the standings with 42 points out of 17 games, but they also managed to bag 42 goals so far in that period, averaging more than 2.5 goals per game.

Some might say that the Bundesliga was easy for Bayern, and they were just there to farm the league for their record. Still, no one could say that this wasn’t an impressive feat that not a lot of teams could pull off.

More than that, they also started their campaign for back-to-back Champions League titles with a strong performance, swiping the whole group stage with 6 wins out of 6 games.

This showed that they were still the best team in the world nowadays, with no team coming close to them.

That was why, even a week before the game began, the depressing atmosphere had already lingered inside the team. Everyone acted as if this was a game that they would never win, including the head coach himself.

Well, that was understandable. Even in their first matchup in September, the team also treated their encounter against Bayern Munich as a lost cause, a defeat that they were willing to take.

After all, the difference in quality between the two teams was as vast as heaven and hell, not something that could be overcome with just hard work.

Higo himself didn’t have any thought of trying to create a miracle. No, at this point, the boy knew that if he was the only one who believed in a miracle, it would be impossible for the team to pull it off.

Still, that didn’t mean his spirit got destroyed before the game even began.

No, Higo had his own target for this game, and he was so excited to see whether he could achieve it or not.

’First, Lewy.’ He murmured under his breath. ’He has already been so close to 20 goals this season, and yet, in two encounters against me, he has never scored even once. I have to make sure that he can’t get one either in the next game...’

Yeah, at this point, it was a personal vendetta between him and Lewandowski.

Higo wanted to protect his goal against the Polish man at all costs, wanting to prove that he was the nightmare for the best striker in the world, while Lewandowski was still curious about putting the ball in the back of Higo’s net.

Even some media platforms highlighted this part quite boldly, saying that their rivalry was a more interesting part to watch than the game itself.

’Then...’ Higo clenched his fist secretly when he thought of his second target. ’I have always conceded two goals in the last two games against Bayern, so let’s try to improve it. At least, I have to restrict them to a maximum of one goal, nothing more than that.’

The second one was definitely a more ambitious project.

So far this season, only a few teams could hold Bayern to fewer than a goal, and it could be counted with just one hand. Still, that was why Higo was more than willing to take this as a challenge.

After all, compared to the two teams’ last encounter, Schalke was stronger defensively today, so he was confident that with the right guidance, he would be able to hold the opponent to fewer than a goal.

He wasn’t the only one with a great ambition, though.

Matthew Hoppe was like a lion cub who had just left its nest, not afraid of anything in the world. If anything, the striker seemed to be way too eager to face Bayern Munich, wanting to test how good he was when he had to fight against the best team in the world.

"I don’t need too many chances, Morita! Just give me a good ball and force me to run; I will beat everyone else on their defensive side!" He bragged boisterously, wanting to get Morita’s cooperation for the next game.

In return, Morita just snorted lightly, finding the boy’s fearlessness reminded him a lot of when he faced Bayern for the first time as well.

"Don’t worry, as long as your position is good, you will get the ball that you want." The midfielder said. "Remember, sending the pass is my task, but if you cannot find a good position to receive it, that is entirely your problem. So, be smarter, okay?"

Hoppe just grinned widely, accepting this as a challenge.

"Don’t worry, I will bring back at least a goal in the next game!"

Anyone who heard that had the corner of their lips twitching madly, finding themselves so speechless at this shameless conversation.

’Who the fuck do they think they are?! Bayern is the best team in the world, for fuck’s sake! Where the hell did they get that confidence from?!’

Still, they didn’t say anything else here. They knew that the coach loved an ambitious youngster like Hoppe and Morita, and any words to discredit those two’s high ambition would only get them scolded by the boss.

’Just let them dream big. When they fall down from the sky, it would hurt them too much later, so don’t get dragged into their mess...’

At least, that was what most of them thought secretly.

Of course, Higo wasn’t one of them. If anything, the goalkeeper was ecstatic, finding himself clenching his fist tighter than ever.

’Yeah, at least I am not alone anymore in this pursuit. Let’s see if we can really surprise the best team in the world next...’