Chapter 32: Narrow Enemies, Bayern Draws!

Cataluña, Santpedo City.

Guardiola was discussing with his girlfriend, Serra, where to take wedding photos and where to hold the wedding, which place would be more suitable.

After finally having some free time, he wanted to make up for the years of indebtedness to his girlfriend.

Their love journey had lasted for over 15 years, and if they didn't hold hands and enter the marriage hall soon, it would be a bit unjustifiable.

"This place is nice, close to the beach, and there's also a castle nearby. It's perfect for inviting friends and family to attend the wedding without being disturbed by reporters!"

"Well, let's go with this place then. But who do you plan to invite?"

Serra looked at Guardiola curiously. She knew he had many friends in the football world, but she wasn't sure if he would invite them.

"Let's keep it low-key as much as possible, so I don't plan to invite too many people. I don't want our wedding to be disturbed by too many people!"

Guardiola considered for a moment and decided not to send out too many invitations, only inviting a few of their closest friends.

"Well, it's up to you to decide. But you should inform Lin in advance. I'm worried he won't have time to come back for our wedding."

"I'll call him myself, so don't worry!"

Guardiola said. Lin Quan had been in the Bundesliga for two months now.

During this time, because he was busy vacationing and preparing for the wedding, and the Bundesliga hadn't started yet, he hadn't paid much attention to the situation there.

It was time to get in touch with him; otherwise, this kid might think his dad wasn't paying attention to him.

With that in mind, Guardiola took out his phone, ready to give Lin Quan a call.

But just at that moment, his phone rang, someone was calling.

Seeing that it was an unfamiliar number, Guardiola frowned.

But seeing the caller ID indicating that it was a call from Germany, Guardiola still answered the phone.

...

Werder Bremen Club, since accepting the invitation from the German Football Association, both the top and bottom of Werder Bremen have entered a state of intense preparation.

The four teams participating in the German Telekom Cup have all been confirmed, and among them, except for Hamburg, the remaining two teams are stronger than Werder Bremen.

And they're not just a bit stronger, but at least a level stronger.

Therefore, Coach Schaaf has prepared an iron bucket formation for these two teams, intending to use a defensive counterattack tactic against them.

In the counterattack, Werder Bremen must seize the limited opportunities; otherwise, they will most likely lose.

For this reason, Coach Schaaf thought it over and decided to put Lin Quan in the starting lineup, using his excellent scoring ability to enhance the team's counterattack power.

Of course, such a big decision needs to be discussed with the player himself, after all, Lin Quan is still young and has never started before.

"Lin, I'm planning to put you on the starting list for the next game. Do you have any issues? I mean, in terms of physical fitness!"

Coach Schaaf spoke straightforwardly, without beating around the bush.

Before, he might have been worried about Lin Quan's unstable mentality and lack of game experience, but after observing for so many days, he was no longer worried about Lin Quan's problems in these areas.

Now there's only one thing to worry about, and that's physical fitness.

At the age of sixteen or seventeen, it's a critical time for adolescents to grow, the second peak of development.

At this stage, boys' bodies are generally thinner, and their physical reserves are not as good as adults, so it's difficult for them to play a full game.

If it were a regular 90-minute match, Schaaf wouldn't easily put Lin Quan in the starting lineup.

But the Telekom Cup matches are only 60 minutes long, with 30 minutes each half and a 15-minute break in between.

In terms of players' physical fitness, the pressure isn't particularly great.

If Lin Quan feels fine himself, he can give it a try.

If Lin Quan doesn't have confidence in himself, then he'll cancel this plan and come on in the second half as usual.

Upon hearing the coach's words, Lin Quan thought carefully.

As a forward playing in a team executing an extreme defensive counter-attacking strategy, he didn't need to participate too deeply in defense. He just needed to exert himself in attack.

In this way, the test of his physical fitness wouldn't be too great. If he had to play the full game, it should be fine.

If worst comes to worst, he could use his points to exchange for stamina potions from the system.

With this in mind, Lin Quan nodded solemnly and said, "Don't worry, coach, leave it to me!"

...

That evening, the draw for the Telekom Cup began.

SV Werder Bremen was unlucky to draw Bayern Munich, a result that disappointed the players.

"If only we had drawn Hamburg, it would have been much better. With Hamburg, we would have had a great chance of advancing to the next round. But now..."

Although Bayern Munich's performance in the Bundesliga had been poor for the past two seasons, their solid strength was undeniable. In terms of player ability and bench depth, SV Werder Bremen couldn't compare.

Fortunately, this was just a cup match, the kind where upsets were common. SV Werder Bremen still had a chance.

"The probability of drawing Hamburg is too low. We and Hamburg were just brought in as extras to accompany the main characters. The Telekom Cup's stars are Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, so they won't be arranged to face each other in the first round. Otherwise, the final wouldn't be as exciting, and the sponsors wouldn't be happy!"

"That's right. Let the first round give these two teams a warm-up against weaker opponents. Then, in the final, these two teams will give the fans an epic battle. That's the ideal script!"

"Certainly, Hamburg is a weaker opponent, I agree. But to say that we've become weak opponents, I disagree!"

"Haha, last season, we weren't much better than Hamburg. So, calling ourselves weak opponents isn't too far-fetched!"

"But this season, we have Lin and Kevin. It's not the same as last season!"

...

Seeing the players laughing and joking around, the coaching staff breathed a sigh of relief.

They had been worried that the players would be intimidated by the opponents' strong strength after knowing who they would face, leading to poor performance in the match.

Now it seemed they had worried too much.

The players of SV Werder Bremen had set their minds right this season. They understood that they were just a mid-table team, so when facing teams like Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, they didn't feel any psychological burden.

Because losing to such opponents was justifiable.

On the contrary, if they pulled off an upset, they would hit the jackpot!

As for Bayern Munich, upon seeing the draw result, their players were also happy.

"Hehe, it seems our first-round opponent is not bad. Their strength isn't strong nor weak, just right for a warm-up."

"Hopefully, Borussia Dortmund won't be eliminated by Hamburg. If that happens, in the final, we can avenge last year's three defeats!"

The players were eager to get their revenge on Borussia Dortmund.

As for SV Werder Bremen? Who cared about such a rubbish team!