Bundesliga clubs back in training - Updates
Cologne - With the restart of the season less than two weeks away, the 18 Bundesliga clubs are working their fingers to the bone both at home and abroad.
Click here to refresh this page
bundesliga.com brings you all the latest news and images as the league of the world champions gears up for the Rückrunde.
Sunday 18 January
Birthday boy
Hamburg's Johan Djourou had the luxury of celebrating his 28th birthday in Dubai:
Want more Bundesliga Action?
Julian Green also took a moment to take this selfie. Perhaps he was on his way to Johan Djourou's birthday bash?
Ein von Julian Wesley Green (@jgreen_37) gepostetes Foto am Jan 18, 2015 at 12:52 PST
All-German affair
Mainz and Eintracht Braunschweig played out a 1-1 draw in Spain earlier today. A good run-out for Kasper Hjulmand's side, as Costa Rica international Junior Diaz points out.
Man of the Match
Obvious choice really...
Best wishes!
Mario Götze and the rest of the FC Bayern squad are back in Germany after their mid-season training camp in Doha.
Boateng back
Kevin-Prince Boateng was
one of several Schalke players
to return to training on Sunday. The Ghanaian midfielder had been suffering from an ankle knock, but trained at the club's Parkstadion alongside Atsuto Uchida, who was forced to pull out of Japan's AFC Asian Cup 2015 squad with a knee problem. Meanwhile, Leon Goretzka and Joel Matip both completed a light session on Sunday.
Eagles success
Alexander Meier has continued his fine scoring form at Frankfurt's training camp in Abu Dhabi, scoring a brace in the Eagles' 3-1 win over Al Ain FC.
Luhukay fit again
Hertha's head coach joined in in some passing exercises today after recovering from a flu just in time for his side's Belek training camp:
Wolves fightback
VfL Wolfsburg, meanwhile, ended their South Africa training camp on a high note, coming back from two goals down to register a dramatic late 4-3 win against Chippa United, Ivan Perisic notching a hat-trick in Port Elizabeth.
"Another trophy for the Wolves," says this tweet showing team captain Diego Benaglio with the coveted prize.
Happy Miki
Dortmund star Henrikh Mkhitaryan (l.) wishes his fans a happy Sunday with this tweet showing him together with fellow attacking midfielder Marco Reus:
Hertha up and running
After landing in Belek today, Hertha Berlin have got their first training session in Turkey underway:
Dutch winger Roy Beerens, meanwhile, who's just recovered from an injury to his right ankle, will be training individually on day 1 of the capital club's winter training camp, as this tweet reveals:
Frankfurt up against Al Ain
Thomas Schaaf's men will be locking horns with the United Arab Emirates' record champions in just a few moments fielding this starting XI (r.):
Atsuto is back
After being ruled out of the AFC Asian Cup 2015 due to his long.stading knee problems, Atsuto Uchida has returned to first-team training in Schalke's first session since returning from Doha, Qatar.
Zhang named in strong line-up
VfL Wolfsburg head coach Dieter Hecking has handed Chinese midfielder Xizhe Zhang his first start for the club as they take on Chippa United looking to make it two wins out of two in South Africa.
Augsburg fall at final hurdle
FC Augsburg suffered a 2-1 loss to Bundesliga 2 outfit 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the Cup of Belek final. Nikola Djurdjic scored from the spot for Markus Weinzierl's side, but it wasn't enough to prevent them suffering their first defeat of mid-season.
Royal Blues on familiar soil
Roberto Di Matteo's men will be taking to the pitch at Schalke's former ground, the Parkstadion, today where the Gelsenkirchen-based club played up until and including the 2000/01 campaign before moving into the nearby Veltins Arena, considered to be one of Europe's most modern stadiums.
Dortmund back in Germany
The five-time champions have just returned from their La Manga training camp:
Wolves say goodbye
The Wolfsburg stars were given a fond farewell as they left their hotel in Port Elizabeth ahead of their friendly against Chippa United FC and an 11-hour flight home later today: Before leaving their hotel in Port Elizebeth and
The Bundesliga club then tweeted the picture below from inside the team's dressing room at the Wolfson Stadium. "The team's arrived, and everything's already prepared for them," reads the tweet.
Holtby back with the team
After undergoing surgery on his collarbone on Saturday, Hamburger SV's midfield strategist Lewis Holtby has returned to the Red Shorts' hotel in Dubai to rejoin his team-mates. The 24-year-old suffered the injury in his side's 3-2 friendly win over Bundesliga rivals Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday evening.
His club-mates, meanwhile, will be up against Kazakhstan's FK Astana in just an hour's time.
Dortmund heading home
Following a nine-day stay in La Manga, Spain, that included encouraging friendly victories over FC Sion and Steaua Bucuresti, struggling five-time champions Borussia Dortmund are set to make their way back to Germany today:
Wolves' final day in South Africa
VfL Wolfsburg have teamed up with a few local kids as they kicked off the last day of their winter training camp in Port Elizabeth.
Hertha flying off
The capital club, meanwhile, are the last of the 18 top-flight clubs to make their way to their winter training camp. Hajime Hosogai and Co. will be spending the coming seven days in Belek, Turkey, for mid-season preparations.
Eintracht Frankfurt up and running
The Eagles have taken to the pitch in Abu Dhabi where they are doing some light running exercises as they prepare for their meeting with United Arab Emirates' side Al Ain FC later this evening.
Whatever the outcome of tonight's game, there will be reason to celebrate for Frankfurt:
Hoffenheim back in Germany
Markus Gisdol's men have touched down on German soil following a ten-day stint in South Africa. “We had great training conditions, an outstanding hotel, fantastic weather and complete peace and quiet which enabled us to work in a focused manner,” concluded the 1899ers boss.
Birthday boy
There was more joy for FC Bayern München head coach Pep Guardiola after landing safely in Munich following a successful nine-day training camp in Doha an a friendly win against Al-Hilal last night, with the Spaniard celebrating his 44th birthday today:
Saturday 17 January
Leverkusen defeated
...but Bayer Leverkusen slumped to a 2-1 loss in their second and final Florida Cup encounter against Corinthians.
Comfortable win for Bayern
The runaway league leaders made it two 4-1 victories on the trot against Al-Hilal...
Hannover victorious
Joselu bagged the only goal of the game as Hannover 96 recorded a 1-0 win over Swiss outfit BSC Young Boys on Saturday.
FCB home and hosed?
Everything's going to plan for FC Bayern in their friendly against Al-Hilal. Goals from Dante, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Robert Lewandowski have given the Bundesliga leaders a 3-0 half-time lead. As I'm sure you can tell from the scoreboard...!
Kehl concern
Borussia Dortmund have beaten Romanian side FC Steaua Bucuresti 1-0 in San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain, courtesy of Jakub Blaszczykowski's 85th-minute strike. Worryingly for Jürgen Klopp, midfielder Sebastian Kehl had to be withdrawn just before the break after landing awkwardly on his left shoulder, with Kevin Großkreutz also taking a knock in the second half...
The final countdown
Just ten minutes to go until FC Bayern kick off against Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal FC in Riyadh. Great atmosphere for the warm-up, reads this Tweet...
First prize
Six Frankfurt fans have certainly enjoyed their start to the year, and striker Alexander Meier looks made up with the gift they presented him with:
Thirsty work
Being in the Abu Dhabi sun is evidently hard work according to Eintracht Frankfurt defender Bamba Anderson:
Fanboy for Hummels
"Please give me your t-shirt Mats"
reads this sign from a fan at Dortmund's friendly with Steaua today. Will BVB's captain oblige?
Red carpet treatment
How about this for a welcome for the Bayern players in Riyadh?
Wolves on the move
"Off we go to Port Elizabeth"
says the latest tweet from VfL Wolfsburg. After beating Ajax Cape Town 4-1 in their first tour friendly, Dieter Hecking's men now head east to take on Chippa United FC on Sunday.
Klopp satisfied
Borussia Dortmund will be travelling back home tomorrow after what has been an encouraging nine-day stay in La Manga, Spain, for the struggling five-time champions. “In about a week, we’ve been able to train better here than we did than throughout the entire pre-season,”
(bottom r.).
Pep welcomes Al-Hilal test
The German record champions registered a 4-1 win against the Qatar Stars in midweek and will be up against Al-Hilal today at 17:00 GMT / 18:00 CET. Bayern boss Pep Guardiola (l., with Bastian Schweinsteiger) insisted at the pre-match press conference in Riad he isn't taking their second friendly of 2015 lightly:
After training is before training
Having just finished their morning session, Werder Bremen's players will have a good hour's rest before resuming training. The Green-Whites were the first side to return home to Germany from their winter training camp on Wednesday.
Taking it all in
The VfL Wolfsburg stars paid one of Cape Town's main attractions, Table Mountain, before they depart for Port Elizabeth. Who couldn't be impressed by a view like that?
Hertha to fly off today
The capital club are the last Bundesliga side to make their way to their winter training camp. Jos Luhukay's men are having a final training session before heading to Belek, Turkey, for a seven-day stay later today.
Stuttgart up and running
After arriving in Lagos yesterday, the Swabians took to the pitch for the first time in the south of Portugal this morning:
Bayern arrive in Riyadh
The Bundesliga leaders, meanwhile, have touched down in Saudi Arabia's capital where Dante (c.) and Co. will be locking horns with Al-Hilal Riad today, kicking off at 17:00 GMT / 18:00 CET.
Fine-tuning
It's going to be a busy day for Borussia Dortmund. After their final training session in La Manga, Jürgen Klopp's side face Romanian outfit FC Steaua Bucuresti before returning home.
Friday 16 January
Skills to pay the bills
We all know FC Bayern München have a star-studded line-up, but their enviable control of a ball extends far beyond their dominating passing game that has been championed by head coach Pep Guardiola, as the YouTube clip below proves...
Götze witnesses victory
Mario Götze appears to be over the moon that the German national handball team got off to a winning start at the 24th Men's Handball World Championship.
1899 ready to go
One final friendly for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in South Africa. Caption:
The teams are here. It's about to get underway. The atmosphere is good...
Well wishes
Breaking your collarbone is incredibly unpleasant, but Lewis Holtby seems to be handling the injury setback as best he can having come through his operation with flying colours.
Speedy Eagles
We've seen plenty of Bundesliga stars unwinding in style of their arduous training sessions, but if Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back Bamba Anderson is to be believed the Eagles may just have topped the lot...(scroll down)
Eager beavers
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim have caused quite a stir during their winter training camp in South Africa. Later tonight they take on Kaizer Chiefs and the fans have flocked to the stadium early with all the tools to create the perfect atmosphere. Caption:
The first fans have already arrived - with Vuvuzela helmets. We've missed those since 2010...
Bayern are still smiling
Eight days down and one to go for FC Bayern's mid-season getaway, but at least the final training session is done and dusted. Tomorrow the German record titleholders take on Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal before flying back to Bavaria.
German lessons
FC Augsburg's Tim Matavz has found time to practise his German during the club's winter training camp in Belek. Take a closer look at the Slovenian striker's multilingual talents below...
Fun-loving Eagles
Aleksandar Ignjovski and Co. have been making the most of a bit of free time away from the training pitches at Eintracht Frankfurt's Abu Dhabi training base...
#Repost @lpiazon ・・・ having a good time at Formula Rossa #Abudhabi #Ferrariworld
Ein von Aleksandar Ignjovski (@ignjovski) gepostetes Foto am Jan 16, 2015 at 7:37 PST
Japan win again
It's all going according to plan for Shinji Kagawa and Co. at the 2015 Asian Cup. Check out our
for more.
Heroes in a half shell
Wolfsburg quartet Aaron Hunt, Kevin De Bruyne, Nicklas Bendtner and Bas Dost could be about to join the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles judging by this snap...
A photo posted by Nicklas Bendtner (@bendtner3) on Jan 16, 2015 at 3:54am PST
Guardiola pleased
FC Bayern head coach has been telling journalists in Doha how delighted he's been with his side's preparations for the Bundesliga restart…
Flying the flag
Five Bundesliga players make the starting line-up for Japan's Asian Cup group clash with Iraq. Click
for a quick round-up of events so far Down Under.
Bobadilla delivers
A smart finish from Raul Bobadilla gave FC Augsburg a 1-0 win over Gaziantepspor Kulübü on day five of the Bavarians' winter training camp in Belek last night...
A photo posted by FC Augsburg (@fcaugsburg1907) on Jan 15, 2015 at 10:20am PST
Schalke coming home
While some clubs are only just getting into the swing of things at their training camps, Schalke are already heading back to Germany after their 11-day stint in the Qatari heat. They'd better wrap up warm, it's somewhat colder in Gelsenkirchen...
Thursday 15 January
Winning start to 2015
Bayer 04 Leverkusen kicked proceedings off in the Florida Cup, part of their mid-season preparations and the Bundesliga World Tour 2015, with a comfortable victory over Brazilian side Fluminense FC.
Schweinsteiger takes it to the street
Bastian Schweinsteiger has long been one of the bigger characters in the FC Bayern München camp. The World Cup winner always knows how to put a smile on the faces of his fellow team-mates as proven by the YouTube video below.
All smiles for Schweinsteiger
FC Bayern's training camp in Doha, Qatar seems to be doing vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger a world of good. Pep Guardiola will be hoping to see that smile a little more often once the Bundesliga season restarts.
Di Matteo's milestone
How would you asses Roberto Di Matteo's first 100 days in charge of FC Schalke 04? Tell us your thoughts by interacting with Bundesliga on
.
Sane to the fore
FC Schalke 04 brought their final day in Doha, Qatar to a close with a 2-2 draw against Al-Merrikh SC in which youth player Leroy Sane grabbed a goal and an assist.
Hello Jeong-Ho!
FC Augsburg picked up a 1-0 win in their friendly with Turkish outfit Gaziantepspor SK as Raul Bobadilla grabbed the only goal of the game. South Korean centre-back Jeong-Ho Hong took no part, but seemed nonetheless positive about his side's chances before the game.
Magic give thanks
And what a night it was for all involved in Orlando yesterday...
Fresh faces
FC Augsburg coach Markus Weinzierl has wasted little time in integrating the club's
- Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Dong-Won Ji - into the side, selecting both to start the Bavarians' friendly against Gaziantepspor today:
In the swing of things
It's not all work and no play for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in South Africa, with Kevin Volland and Sebastian Rudy heading to a nearby driving range to get in a spot of golf practice. "Our lads rarely do anything that doesn't involve sport." reads the post on the club's Instagram account below:
A photo posted by TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (@tsg1899hoffenheim) on Jan 15, 2015 at 5:36am PST
Meanwhile, team-mate Roberto Firmino paid a visit to a Nelson Mandela memorial:
Uma foto publicada por @roberto_firmino10 em Jan 15, 2015 at 7:11 PST
Schalke in action
Roberto Di Matteo's Royal Blues went close to earning a friendly victory over Al Merrikh in Doha, but eventually had to settle for a 2-2 draw. Worringly for Schalke, midfielder
hobbled off before the end with what appeared to be a foot injury.
Qatari fan base
World Cup winner Thomas Müller has been mightily impressed by Doha's resident FC Bayern fans...
Hot and sticky
The heat's back in Johannesburg, where even 1899 Hoffenheim's Brazilian playmaker Roberto Firmino looked glad of the rest at the end of today's training session...
Rain stops play
Wolfsburg's trip to Table Mountain has been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, according to the below Tweet. The Wolves will instead head into the township and go on safari...
Home time
After Werder Bremen returned to Germany yesterday, Borussia Mönchengladbach are following suit today. The Foals had a gentle training session in the morning, followed by the obligatory goodbye photo-op, before heading to the airport:
Target practice
Having shipped 26 goals already this season - the fifth worst defensive record in the league - Borussia Dortmund put their goalkeepers through their paces today, with looking in good shape if this video Instagram video is anything to go by:
Film zamieszczony przez użytkownika Borussia Dortmund (@bvb09) Sty 15, 2015 at 1:36 PST
Turkish delight
SC Paderborn have been enjoying the balmy temperatures in Turkey, tweeting this picture earlier this morning, alongside the caption:
"First training session in the sun!"
Royal Blue pride
FC Schalke 04 defensive recruit Matija Nastasic says he's "proud to be a Schalke player" after joining the club on loan from Manchester City FC...
Doha bromance
Bayern's Mario Götze and FIFAPro World XI forward Arjen Robben have been enjoying each other's company in the Qatari capital...
Pass and move, the Dortmund groove
Mats Hummels and Kevin Großkreutz have been getting their eye in over in La Manga, Spain...
Bundesliga goes NBA
Not even a message from Dallas Mavericks headliner Dirk Nowitski could inspire Leverkusen's Stefan Kießling to victory in the
in Orlando on Wednesday. Just like Köln's Anthony Ujah, the Leverkusen striker was unable to sink his shot at half-time in the NBA game between the Orlando Magic and Houston rockets…
"Cracking night for the Werkself at the Orlando Magic game.