Borussia Dortmund started their short preparation for the second-round opener at Eintracht Frankfurt on Monday. The performance tests included striker Erling Haaland as well as a number of professionals who have been absent recently.
Such a large training ground as Borussia Dortmund’s certainly offers advantages when you want to keep your players away from prying eyes or intrusive autograph hunters. BVB took advantage of this on Monday, at least in part, as the professionals gradually gathered for the first training session of the new year in Brackel, but initially only for a PCR test, various performance tests and, in some cases, the first exercises on the pitch.
While captain Marco Reus, Thorgan Hazard or Gregor Kobel still took the direct route between the professional dressing room and the office, the paths became more and more winding with increasing fan density and heavier rain – until the route finally led to Erling Haaland and Raphael Guerreiro by golf cart past two training pitches and the youth and amateur dressing room and with a few 100 metres diversions somewhat awkwardly to the destination.
First personnel hurdle almost cleared
At least the fans kicking a ball to pass the time caught a glimpse of the Norwegian. And he answered their loud shouts of “Haaland” from a distance with a heart formed with his fingers. For the traditionally excited Spanish media, which had recently reported on Haaland’s alleged commitment to Spain towards football fans in Marbella, the gesture would probably have almost been newsworthy. In Dortmund on Monday, it was at best a marginal aspect.
Much more important was the question of whether other Corona cases would turn up in the first test alongside Dan-Axel Zagadou, who tested positive for the Corona virus while on holiday. By Monday afternoon, however, this was not the case. Should this remain the case, a first personnel hurdle would have been cleared before the second-round opener on Saturday in Frankfurt (18.30 hrs).
The first regular team training session is scheduled for Tuesday. Whether Youssoufa Moukoko, Manuel Akanji, Raphael Guerreiro and Giovanni Reyna, who have been missing recently, will be able to return in full or at least in part, remains to be seen. In any case, all of the quartet showed up at the training ground on Monday.
