Chapter 966: DAZN Live Broadcast!

"Dear fans and friends wherever you are, good evening!"

"Here is the live broadcast of the 18th round of the 2020-21 Bundesliga Season, where the top of the standings, Bayern Munich, will try to steal a point from the resilient Gelsenkirchen pride, Schalke 04!"

"I am the host, Daniel Herzog, and partnering with me today is your former German International, Michael Ballack!"

In DAZN’s studio in Munich, the live broadcast of this game had officially started, and the number of viewers rose instantly right at the very first second.

It wasn’t just them, per se.

Dozens of media reporters, including Sky Sport Germany, WAZ Gelsenkirchen, and even Kicker, had already occupied the press seats with their lenses aimed at the exit of the player tunnel, waiting for the players from both sides to take the pitch.

How could it not, since this game was probably the biggest one in the country today.

The home team, Schalke, had been in a positive trend since the end of December, winning the last three games in the league without conceding even a single goal in the process.

Well, the defensive part was quite normal for them this season, so no one was really that surprised when they heard that.

No, the most shocking part here was the fact that in the last two games, Schalke managed to score 6 goals, winning both games by a three-goal margin.

This showed that they started to improve their offense, and this all could be credited to the presence of the new rising star on the team, the one and only Matthew Hoppe.

So far, the boy had already collected four goals out of two games that he played, putting him on everyone’s radar as one of the hottest prospects in the league right now.

Hell, even when he wasn’t scoring a goal, his presence alone could be a big difference for Schalke, as the boy had this gravity that would always attract the opponent’s defenders to his side, leaving everyone open in the other spots.

This allowed Schalke’s offense to have a big leap in the last couple of weeks, making them one of the most dangerous teams in the league right now.

Unfortunately, today, they had to fight the ultimate final boss, the most dangerous team in the league.

This would be their biggest test to see whether they could maintain their hot form or not, and on the other hand, Bayern would also meet so much resistance from the team that was trying to climb high right now.

Michael Ballack also saw this as a good matchup, and it would be a lie if he said that he wasn’t interested in seeing how everything unfolded today.

"This is going to be another game of patience for Bayern, but this time, the opponent will be way more stubborn than they have ever met." The legendary midfielder stated.

"Their usual 4-2-3-1 formation, with the two wingers being so active in helping defense, makes Schalke’s backline as stable as ever. The duet of Omar Mascarell and Nabil Bentaleb as the destroyers in the midfield also helps cut off any supply from the opponent’s central midfielder, kicking out all the attack to the flank side."

"Then, they also have Higo on the back, the one who held Lewy two games in a row. He would definitely want to continue that to three games, so we can expect him to be more determined than ever today!"

"As for the offense, Schalke has Koki Morita in midfield, so they will only need one good ball coming to him to get what they want!"

"Honestly, this team is a nightmare for any ordinary team in the league!"

The legendary midfielder explained Schalke’s strength clearly, highlighting the key players on the pitch who would be a big game changer later.

"You say that as if Schalke is going to win, Michael." Daniel Herzog smiled. "But just as you said, it would only work against an ordinary team. Unfortunately, Bayern is way beyond ordinary at this point, right?"

"Indeed, that is a big problem for Schalke." Ballack nodded solemnly, acknowledging his partner’s point. "For all of Schalke’s brilliance in the last couple of days, Bayern is definitely a team that is far beyond their reach right now."

"Even though they lost some important players last summer, like Thiago, Coutinho, or Perisic, Bayern is still one of the most well-balanced teams in the world."

"The double pivots of Joshua Kimmich partnering with Leon Goretzka are enough to organize the ball and even stabilize the defense whenever a counterattack from the opponent approaches them."

"More than that, their attacking line has its firepower fully loaded today!"

"Lewandowski is still on fire as the sole striker up front, having already scored 20 goals so far. He will be supported by Muller, Sane, and Gnabry, and if that is not enough, some young players like Jamal Musiala or Kingsley Coman could also come in the second half as reinforcement."

"Their offensive line is so luxurious that even their bench could still give a run for everyone’s money in the whole world."

"More than that, the experience coming after winning the treble last season will also be a huge deal in this matchup, something that no data would be able to explain."

"With that in mind, even though Schalke is having great momentum, I cannot see them winning this matchup. Not normally, anyway."

The man had been speaking non-stop for almost ten minutes, and once his final sentence left his mouth, he paused for a second, taking a deep breath while also looking at his partner quietly.

"Thank you for the wonderful analysis, Michael." Daniel caught the subtle signal and took over the show immediately.

Soon enough, the camera shifted back to the stadium, where all the players were ready in the tunnel. No pleasantries could be seen at this point, as everyone was ready to go to war.

"Well, since both sides are ready, let’s get back to the Veltins Arena, where the game is about to begin!"