Key figure Sven Bender is back in action. Asked about the aims for the second half of the season, the 27-year-old said: "We need to eliminate careless mistakes and take the lead in matches. Once we're ahead, it's very, very unlikely we'll drop points."

The team has been working on this at the training camp in Marbella, where Sven Bender is giving it 100 percent every day on the training ground. Completing a full preparation period is "very important", said the defensive specialist, adding: "I didn't do it in the summer. Annoyingly I came back from the Olympic Games with an injury and missed pretty much all of the first half of the season."

Bender is not the only one who has been back a few weeks; the group is growing on a daily basis. "The training," he said, "is at a high level. And as they say, competition is good for business." (br)

BVB total! video: Sven Bender chats to journalists in Marbella