Today marks the start of the second phase of BVB's pre-season, with the team again set to put the finishing touches to their preparations for the 2016/17 season in Bad Ragaz as they have done every summer since 2012. Thomas Tuchel has almost a full squad at his disposal.

Among the absentees are Marco Reus, who is set for a return to team training in the middle of August, Olympic participants Sven Bender and Matthias Ginter, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is still awaiting the birth of his child but will join the team in Switzerland thereafter.

The first session will take place this afternoon at the Ri Au complex, with the first of the club's two friendlies during the training camp coming later this week. On the other side of Rhine, in the Austrian municipality of Altach, BVB will face Sunderland on Friday. (br)