It was raining cats and dogs when Borussia Dortmund’s team arrived at Innsbruck airport on early Tuesday afternoon. The German league and cup runners up continued their journey by bus to their training camp in the Kitzbuhel Alps/Brixtental where they are holding their first of two training camps until Saturday.

After a warm and friendly welcome at Hotel Elisabeth in Kirchberg (Tyrol), where the players and coaches are staying for the third time after 2012 and 2013, the team was forced by the weather to do their usual warm up routine and stabilisation exercises in the local primary school’s gym which they were able to use at short notice thanks to the efforts of the excellent training camp hosts.

Shortly before 6 pm, the players then went out to the well-groomed pitch which was in good condition in spite of the heavy rain. But there was one difference to last year: due to the severe weather conditions, the stands were sparsely filled, it almost looked like as if the first session at the training camp in the Kitzbuhel Alps/Brixtental took place behind closed gates, but the fans eventually came out from under cover to get their autographs.  

Lukasz Piszczek, who had turned his ankle in Saturday’s lactate test, took part in the training, while Nuri Sahin (knee) sat out the first practice session. Ilkay Gündogan and Jakub Blaszczykowski worked out in the hotel’s weight room, with the Polish player also doing an individual programme on the pitch.