Back into the swing with a beep test

It was the first real test of the players' fitness since the back end of last season, as they have been on holiday for the best part of four weeks. On a humid afternoon in Heidelberg, they ran countless laps of the running track and had blood samples taken for Dr. Joachim Jost and his medical staff to analyse in the coming days.

But the exertions are not yet over for the day. At 5.00 pm this evening the team has its first public training session of the new season with head coach Markus Babbel and assistant Rainer Widmayer in the Dietmar Hopp stadium. Entry is free for any fans who wish to go along.