Chapter 119 The Sound of Hell

On the evening of November 26, 2013, two or three hours before the start of the match, the Westfalenstadion was already packed with fans from all directions.

Television broadcasts also began their busy work at this time.

Reporters on the front lines actively reported, connecting with the studios in the rear to introduce the situation on the ground.

"...Borussia Dortmund fans are gathering outside the stadium, and they have already started a grand chorus, unable to wait..."

"When interviewed by us, some Borussia Dortmund fans said that UEFA should relax restrictions on standing-room-only stands. This way, the Südtribüne (South Stand) of the Westfalenstadion can accommodate more than 20,000 passionate Borussia Dortmund fans, which will be a huge deterrent to Napoli..."

"...Napoli's fans are known for their fanaticism, but the most famous fanatical fans in Europe are the Borussia Dortmund fans. Some Borussia Dortmund fan organizations have said that they will let Napoli see 'true fanaticism'..."

"The small number of Napoli fans are under the strict protection of the police... Everyone look to my left, the blue-shirted Napoli fans are still very conspicuous in the yellow and black ocean..."

"...For this game, nearly 5,000 Napoli fans traveled to Dortmund to cheer for their team. This number is not small. But under the momentum of 62,000 Borussia Dortmund fans, it is hard to say how much support they can provide to their team..."

Before the game, the focus was on the fans in their strange costumes.

But as the game time approached, the players gradually became the main attraction.

Frontline reports also focused more on the players of the two teams, starting from when they took the bus from their respective hotels and following them all the way to the Westfalenstadion.

"...The door of Borussia Dortmund's bus slowly opened, and the first one out was Borussia Dortmund's coach Klopp, followed by assistant coach Željko Buvač... Then came the Borussia Dortmund players, captain Kehl, Weidenfeller... Zhou Yi, Reus... Yan Min... Aubameyang... Can Borussia Dortmund create a miracle in this game? The burden on these players' shoulders is not light..."

"...We have obtained the starting list for this game just announced by Borussia Dortmund. Unlike the starting lineup in the previous game against Bayern Munich, Klopp has made adjustments on the defense line—Friedrich, who just joined the team and only played one game, is not eligible to participate in the Champions League game because he is not registered in the Champions League roster, so naturally he did not start. Replacing him is Sven Bender, this defensive midfielder has been placed in the center back position by Klopp. And Sven Bender has not played this position much before. It is very risky for Klopp to make such a substitution before such an important game... Of course, this is also his consistent style..."

"...Sven Bender playing center back, and him and Sokratis Papastathopoulos also have the problem of insufficient tactical training. So Klopp's substitution arrangement may be foreshadowing something in the game... Replacing Sven Bender in the midfield defensive midfielder position is Sebastian Kehl, who is also Borussia Dortmund's captain in this game. He will form a double defensive midfielder with Şahin in the midfield..."

"In the attacking lineup, Klopp has not made any adjustments. Zhou Yi is in the center as an attacking midfielder, Aubameyang and Reus are on the left and right, and Mark Wagner is still at the front... This attacking lineup scored three goals against Bayern Munich in the last game, but scoring only three goals against Napoli is not enough... Can they score at least four goals, create a miracle, turn the tide, and prevent the defending champion from being eliminated early?"

※※※

From the start of the team's warm-up, Borussia Dortmund fans fully demonstrated their enthusiasm and energy, singing tirelessly in the stands to cheer for the team, as if the game was already underway.

Before the game, Borussia Dortmund fans said that they would turn the Westfalenstadion into hell at this moment, and their singing and enthusiasm would become scorching magma, completely melting Napoli.

Now it seems that Borussia Dortmund fans have done what they said.

Such home court momentum can indeed bring great pressure to the visiting team.

After the warm-up, the players from both sides returned to their respective locker rooms.

Klopp was already waiting for everyone there.

When the last player entered the locker room, assistant coach Željko Buvač closed the locker room door from the outside.

Now in the locker room, there are only sixteen players who have entered the roster, plus one coach Klopp.

Klopp didn't say anything at first. He stood in the corner of the locker room, without speaking or making a sound, just quietly watching his players doing pre-match preparations.

After the last player finished tidying up his socks and straightened up, he said, "Gentlemen, I checked the information. Since the Champions League was reformed in 1992-1993 and had a group stage, in the twenty-one years of history, only one defending champion packed up and went home after the group stage, that was Chelsea last season. So is it possible for the Champions League defending champion to be eliminated in the group stage? Of course. But the probability is very low."

Speaking of this, Klopp paused slightly: "I am not saying this to comfort everyone, to tell you that the probability of the defending champion being eliminated in the group stage is very low, and we will not be so unlucky to encounter such a low probability event. I just want to tell everyone that historical data is meaningless. Looking at it in the length of twenty-one years, although only one defending champion has not passed the group stage, but at the moment, in this season, if we are eliminated, that is a 100% probability."

"I also know that our current situation is very difficult, and some players are unable to fight alongside us due to injuries. From the perspective of public opinion, many people think that it is simply a fantasy and impossible for us to win Napoli by four goals at our home court. Does everyone find it familiar?" Klopp asked rhetorically. "Is it a bit like the situation before our last game against Bayern Munich? At that time, everyone was saying that we would be blown up by Bayern Munich at home... What was the result?"

He spread his hands and looked at his players, who had been aroused by his rhetorical question.

"We were behind three times, and we equalized three times! We used tenacity to give a very vivid lesson to all those who were not optimistic about us! I tell you, in the football world, nothing is impossible! In the football world, miracles can be created! And we have this ability!"

Klopp roared, raising his voice.

The players in the locker room also became excited, and many people clenched their teeth and their lips were trembling.

"Can we win Napoli by four goals in this game? Of course we can! This is our home court. If it is not possible here, then where else can it be?! Can we not concede a goal in the game? Of course we can! In the past few days, we have been training specifically for the current defensive personnel configuration. The state and fighting spirit shown by the defensive players in training make me very gratified. If some people still look at you with the old eyes of the last game, I believe you will definitely surprise them!"

When saying this, Klopp turned his gaze to the four defenders starting in this game: Großkreutz, Durm, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Sven Bender, giving them a look of trust.

"Finally, I want to say, remember, this is Westfalenstadion, this is our home court, this is our territory, since it is our territory, then..." He paused, then smiled. "Of course, we have the final say!"

※※※

The players from both sides came out of the locker room and waited in the player tunnel to enter the field.

Here, Zhou Yi saw Inler.

Inler did not start in this game, so he was wearing a thick coat, shrinking his neck as he walked past those starting players from both sides, heading directly to the bench.

But Zhou Yi stopped him: "Hey, Inler!"

Zhou Yi's shout attracted the attention of the players from both sides. Inler was also stunned, and then his expression was a little embarrassed after seeing Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi, who claimed to win Napoli by four goals, suddenly stopped him in front of so many people, giving him an ominous premonition.

Was he going to seek revenge in person?

But Zhou Yi didn't do that. Seeing Inler stop, he smiled and greeted him, then took the initiative to extend his hand to the Swiss midfielder.

This is a universally used gesture of friendship.

Inler was very surprised at first, but later realized that Zhou Yi was showing friendship to himself, which may be a response to the various "revenge" claims from the outside world...

Since Zhou Yi had generously let go of the past, what position did Inler have to be coy?

So he also smiled and shook hands with Zhou Yi, and finally the two also hugged each other and patted each other on the back.

Of course, all of this happened under the camera lens, and this harmonious and friendly scene was also broadcast live to the whole world through television.

When Duan Xin saw this scene, he couldn't help but sigh: "Before the game, Zhou Yi took the initiative to shake hands and hug Inler. Two people who should have a feud in the eyes of the outside world were talking and laughing together... This also added some warm colors to this crucial battle... The game is the game, no matter how fierce the fight is on the field, it does not prevent the display of friendship off the field..."

※※※

While the starting players from both sides were waiting in the tunnel, in the live broadcast, Norbert Dickel was leading the fans to cheer for the Borussia Dortmund players' names.

Cheers rose one after another, resounding through the sky.

This is naturally also a means used by home fans to put pressure on the visiting team.

Borussia Dortmund fans have created the best and most terrifying home atmosphere possible, and they have done everything they can.

Next, it depends on the players on the field.

Can they become heroes for all Borussia Dortmund fans today?