Football singularity

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[19:30 | Studio – Live Broadcast]

The broadcast faded to a commercial, but the studio lights dimmed only slightly as Kate, Lothar, and Owen leaned back in their seats, exchanging a few quiet words. Their assistants arrived to check up on them, and the makeup artists came to do some touch-ups. The control room buzzed in their ears, counting down the seconds until they were live again.

Kate straightened the papers in front of her as the staff returned to their positions; the countdown ticked down. "Five, four, three…" the producer's voice crackled, and the cameras cut back to the desk.

Kate's tone was crisp and professional. "Welcome back to our live coverage of the DFB-Pokal Final, Bayern Munich versus Bayer Leverkusen, coming to you from the Olympiastadion in Berlin. Just under thirty minutes to kick-off, and the tension is building."

On-screen, the split broadcast showed some of the shots taken over the past week from both teams. It replayed some of the interviews some of the players had given at training and at designated press zones. Kate gestured toward the screen. "Lothar, Owen—we have been given the official line-ups. What are your thoughts?"

---

Bayer Leverkusen (4-2-3-1):

GK: L. Hradecky

RB: L. Bender

CB: E. Tapsoba

CB: S. Bender

LB: Wendell

CDM: C. Aránguiz

CDM: J. Baumgartlinger

RM: M. Diaby

CAM: N. Amiri

LM: R. Rex

ST: K. Havertz

Bench: Karem Demirbay, Mitchell Weiser, Kevin Volland, Karim Bellarabi, Jonathan Tah, Leon Bailey, Lucas Alario, Florian Wirtz, Ramazan Ozcan

Vs

Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1):

GK: M. Neuer

RB: B. Pavard

CB: J. Boateng

CB: D. Alaba

LB: A. Davies

CDM: J. Kimmich

CDM: L. Goretzka

RM: S. Gnabry

CAM: T. Müller

LM: K. Comman

ST: R. Lewandowski

Bench: Thiago Alcantara, Philippe Coutinho, Ivan Perišić, Lucas Hernandez, Alvaro Odriozola, Niklas Sule

---

The line-ups flashed on the studio screen, the familiar graphics showing Bayern in white and red, Leverkusen in deep black and crimson. The camera cut back to the desk, where Kate Abdo guided the conversation once again. "So there you have it, the official elevens for tonight's DFB-Pokal Final. Both sides are sticking to their tried-and-tested 4-2-3-1. Lothar, let me start with you—what stands out?"

Lothar Matthäus gave a small shrug. "Not a surprise. This is Bayern's best eleven. Strong at the back, Kimmich and Goretzka control the middle, with Müller floating behind Lewandowski. Coman and Gnabry wide—it's dangerous everywhere."

Owen Hargreaves leaned in, shaking his head. "Yeah, but Lothar, that back line isn't perfect. Boateng's legs aren't what they used to be. If Leverkusen get Rakim or Diaby running at him, that's trouble."

Lothar smirked at this ."Boateng is a world champion, Owen. Finals require experience, and that man right there has battled against some of the world's best forwards and won. Rakim and Diaby are talented, yes, but come on, this is Bayern Munich we're talking about."

Kate Abdo stepped in, her voice calm but firm. "Alright, so Lothar, you're putting weight on Bayern's stability. Owen, you're highlighting Leverkusen's pace out wide. What about Havertz as a striker? That's a big call."

Owen nodded quickly. "I love it. Havertz is not your typical forward; he's the prototype of what a modern striker ought to be. He can drop back to connect with his teammates and create attacking opportunities for his versatile teammates. Oh, let's not forget his ability to drop into pockets, pull defenders out of position. That opens lanes for Rakim and Diaby. It's a deadly attacking trio."

Lothar shook his head again. "But who scores the goals, Owen? Havertz is an excellent player, I don't doubt that, but he is not Lewandowski. Finals are about strikers who finish, and that is just not Havertz; often, he still plays like a midfielder when his team just needs him to break through and score."

"'Potato potata,' Fact of the matter is that Haverts, on average, creates 30% more goal-scoring opportunities than RL9. Numbers don't lie, a team with Havertz on the team sheet will threaten the goal no matter how good the defensive line is." Owen retorted with a light smile, convinced of his facts. "Don't get me wrong, I see this game being a very competitive match-up, but to me that Leverkusen offence seems far more dangerous."

"You can't be serious, Kate, are you hearing this? Someone get a doctor because this man is out of his mind." Lothor retorted with exasperation, shooting Kat a questioning glance. "All the numbers in the world don't matter as long as they fail to perform. We saw them fail to do so a couple of weeks ago. What's so different now?"

Kate smiled, letting the tension between them build before stepping in. "Gentlemen, you'll never agree on this one. But let me ask—does the fact Bayern already clinched the league against Leverkusen a few weeks ago weigh on tonight?"

Lothar didn't hesitate. "Of course. Bayern beat them when it mattered, showing they were stronger. That stays in players' minds. Leverkusen can say it's a new game, but deep down, they know Bayern had their number."

Owen shook his head. "I don't buy that. Players don't walk into a final thinking about the league loss—they walk in thinking: this is our chance to put it right. Rakim, Havertz, Diaby—they'll use that as fuel. Young players aren't scared like veterans; they're hungry."

"Hungry or naïve?" Lothar cut back, eyebrows raised.

Kate chuckled softly, leaning in. "Or maybe just fearless, Lothar. Finals have produced plenty of shocks before. And for Leverkusen, it's been 26 years since they last lifted silverware. That's a huge motivator."

"We can debate all we want, but in the end, the winner is decided on the field. Well, he'd gone down to the field following a short break as the two teams took the stage in hopes of becoming champions of Germany." Kate started with a slight smile, bringing the pre-match show to an end with the director's cue.

~~~

[04/07/2020 | Time: 19:50 PM | DFB-Pokal Final | Location: Olympiastadion Berlin]

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this live broadcast for the DFB final clash between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern Munich." He paused for a moment as the camera flew down to face the players lined up in the tunnel in two neat rows.

The three-man referee team stood at the front, led by Mr Tobias Welz, who held the official ball in his hands. A short moment later, accompanied by the official song of the tournament, the procession walked out of the tunnel. Stepping past the gleaming trophy placed on a podium before the field, they neatly took their position for the national anthem.

The Olympiastadion, bathed in gold light as dusk settled over Berlin, echoed with the solemn notes of the German national anthem. The players stood shoulder to shoulder, though the distance of the COVID protocols left small gaps between them. Leverkusen in their striking black and crimson kits, Bayern in gleaming white with red trim.

The camera lingered briefly on Manuel Neuer as it passed over the players, his jaw clenched, eyes forward, already in match mode. It moved past the referee's panning to Lars Bender, who remained composed. The camera moved from player to player, stopping at Rakim at the end of the Leverkusen line.

The young man, who would be playing in his second cup final, calmly took breaths. He didn't sing the anthem like some of the German players, who were too focused on what had been talked about in the pre-match talk. As the anthem ended, the officials guided the captains forward for the coin toss as the players lined up for the official photo.

Neuer won the coin toss, choosing to kick off first as Lars chose to attack from left to right. The official team pictures were taken, and the players jogged to their positions. Tobias Welz performed his final checks before bringing his whistle to his mouth.

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To Be Continued...