Chapter 766: Game Day! VS FC Augsburg!

In the end, no one truly knew why Higo suddenly got on fire, but no one denied that the boy’s performance in the training session really boosted the team’s confidence.

The guys on the frontline, like Cali, Morita, Nassim, and Benito Raman, didn’t even feel anything negative when all of their shots were being saved, finding that with Higo in goal, there was no way they could score a proper goal in any session.

Somehow, Frohling failed to achieve what he wanted at first, which was to humble his frontline even for a bit. The head coach just let out a deep sigh as his strategy seemed to work against him here, and yet, a wry smile also formed on his face.

’Well, I couldn’t really ruin the positive atmosphere around, right?’

Then, amidst the excitement inside the team, time passed by quickly, and before they knew it, they were already at game day again, having to play against Augsburg in their own home, Veltins Arena. This was another game that they had to win at all costs, as the opponent was also their rival in the relegation zone.

However, that didn’t mean Augsburg would be an easy opponent. Hell, if anything, they seemed to be more troublesome than any other team right now, especially in this current moment.

"This is the team that has always managed to find a way out of the relegation zone in the last seven years. Yeah, seven. It is impressive that they can get away with it so many times." Frohling said in one of the team’s meetings. "They are the kind of team that will be a punching bag at the beginning of the season, but turning into a stumbling block that will even kill those teams competing for the top standing once the competition enters March or April. So, yeah, this should be the time when they would get their power-up, so be careful about it!"

Well, even without the coach’s reminder, there was no way in hell Higo would dare to underestimate his opponent, not when Kumiko herself was living under the same roof as him. Even though the boy didn’t really need it, his girlfriend would always provide the latest update on who he had to watch in the next game, and today was no different than any other day.

"They are the team that used a low block to defend, and their counterattack will be decisive." At least, that was the girl’s words when she reminded Higo about the opponent. "Their two wingers, Ruben Vargas and Marco Ritcher, are the two main attackers and like to drive through the channel area. As for their striker, Florian Niederlechner, while he is old and slow, his ability to link up with the two wingers will be a great danger if your defenders put too much focus on him."

Kumiko said more things about how dangerous Augsburg’s offense was, but honestly, most of them failed to get stuck into Higo’s head. No, the boy was more focused on the fact that Augsburg was one of the teams with the most fouls committed in the league right now, only losing against Werder Bremen.

Thinking of the game against Werder Bremen in the past, the boy couldn’t help but shudder.

’If today is anything like that day, we are in for a very long day...’ He muttered under his breath.

Once Higo finally entered the pitch, the boy couldn’t help but feel strange. Even though he had already experienced the empty Signal Iduna Park, this was the first time the boy saw the stadium to be this empty on a game day. When his gaze landed on the northern part of the stand, he could imagine some fanatic guys like Hans, the bartender in Bosch, waving the Schalke flags there, and yet, the noise was not there.

’Yeah, it will take a long time to get used to the lack of their presence around.’ The boy smiled wryly.

After warming up for around 15 minutes, the players for both teams were finally ready. For Schalke, no big change was made, just Benito Raman, who earned a place on the frontline to replace Rabbi Matondo, who was injured in the last game. As for Fabian Reese, the boy would only be back at the training session two days later after his self-quarantine period, so the option on the left side was quite limited here.

As for the defensive line, Jonjoe Kenny was getting dropped to the bench for now. Even though the Englishman had already regained his form and lost some weight in the process, Todibo’s solid performance in the game against Dortmund had earned the French defender one spot in the four defenders in front of Higo.

Not that Higo would complain, of course, since he himself had also felt that Todibo was more reassuring, not so easy to be beaten by the opponent. At least, in today’s game, where physical confrontation would be unavoidable, the man would be a valuable asset to protect the left side of the pitch.

Soon enough, the referee was also ready at the center circle. He was still communicating with the linesmen on the sideline, but the whistle was already on the tip of his lips. As for the kick-off itself, of course, it would end up in Augsburg’s feet. There was no way the team that Higo played for would win in the coin toss contest.

Then, after making sure that everything was ready...

FWEEE!

The whistle was finally blown, and the two Augsburg players also moved fast. It wasn’t a blitzkrieg attack, but just thirty seconds after the game started, they launched their first long ball, making use of their striker’s height, which was close to 195 cm, to get the second ball there.

BAM!

True enough, Oczipka got overwhelmed in the aerial duel, and in the next second, another Augsburg player popped up to recycle the ball in Schalke’s pocket area. The defense was quite chaotic right now, and before anyone could figure out what was going on...

BAM!

A long shot was launched from outside of the box.