Seven weeks after an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee, Sebastian Rode returned to team training on Wednesday. The captain is thus fully on schedule and will further fuel the competition in the midfield.
At the end of August, Rode had stated on the sidelines of the Europa League draw: “I expect to miss two games in the Europa League and hope to play the remaining games.” That should work out – provided the 30-year-old is spared further setbacks. In any case, the start with two training sessions on Wednesday was promising, Rode is fully fit again.
“It’s a great feeling to return to the team circle. Everything worked well in training. Now I just hope that I can stay with the team longer,” the midfielder is quoted as saying on the club’s website. The next international match against Olympiakos Piraeus will take place at the Waldstadion on 21 October; the two weeks until then should be enough for Rode to at least be an option for the squad again.
In Kristijan Jakic (24), he has a new rival since this season. There is currently no way around Djibril Sow in central midfield, and Jakic has been ahead of him lately, displacing Ajdin Hrustic. The Australian international, however, is more at home in attacking midfield than in defensive midfield. It therefore comes down to a duel between the resolute two-fighters Rode and Jakic. In view of their busy schedules until Christmas, neither of them will miss out.
