The Green-and-Whites are back! After a four-week summer break, VfL Wolfsburg returned to the training ground on Saturday to begin preparations for the new season and the continuation of the UEFA Europa League.
The players clearly enjoyed being back in each other’s company on the practice pitch adjacent to the Volkswagen Arena. Watched on by numerous VfL fans, the Wolves completed various drills with and without the ball in a session that lasted just over 90 minutes.
26 players involved
Renato Steffen and Xaver Schlager were the first members of the squad to take to the pitch shortly after 16:00 CEST, and the duo were two of 22 outfield players and four goalkeepers to debut the new grey training gear, under the watchful eye of head coach Oliver Glasner.
Jeffrey Bruma, Yunus Malli and John Yeboah, who were all out on loan last season, were back in VfL colours, but Kevin Mbabu (positive coronavirus test), Admir Mehmedi (Achilles tendon), Paulo Otavio and William (both in rehabilitation following injury) were all absent.
Friendly against Leipzig next week
Given the interruptions to the 2019/20 season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, preparations for the new campaign will be different to those in recent years. As such, the Wolves will play their first friendly against RB Leipzig, who finished third in the Bundesliga last term, behind closed doors at the RB training centre on Thursday 30 July (kick-off 16:00 CEST).
Six days later, on Wednesday 5 August (kick-off 18:55 CEST), Glasner’s charges will face FC Shakhtar Donetsk in their Europa League Round of 16 second leg as they look to make it through to the quarter-finals.
THE WOLVES’ SUMMER CALENDAR
