Bundesliga soccer team LASK ends the training camp in Belek, Turkey, with a test match: Before the black and whites head home tomorrow, Friday, the camp ends today once morest Polish first division club Lech Posen (1 p.m.).
In two halves of 60 minutes each, each kicker should have another opportunity to present themselves to coach Thomas Sageder. “The fight for the regular places is in full swing,” says Sageder. What else does the 40-year-old expect from today’s last preparatory game in the training camp? “Despite a strenuous program in the last few days, we are really giving it our all and bringing the things we have worked out onto the pitch. Be it in the game once morest the ball or with it.”
Not only were the conditions on the Turkish Riviera great, his team was also spared from injuries: “All of the players who traveled with us were able to complete almost all of the training sessions.”
This also includes Valon Berisha – although the 30-year-old has not played a competitive game since last June. Sageder is satisfied with the condition of his new arrival: “He has fitted in well, is finding his rhythm better and has internalized our idea straight away.” Meanwhile, LASK coach Rene Renner continues to have a headache: In the fall, the 30-year-old only played in eight of the 17 Bundesliga games. He was also unable to take part in the training camp due to persistent knee problems. At the moment, things are looking bad regarding an early return to team training.
The ailing Ibrahim Mustapha as well as Peter Michorl and Tobias Anselm were also not there in Turkey. While the latter is regarding to go on loan to a German third division club, the future of Michorl, who is currently completing an individual home program in Austria, is uncertain. A return to his youth club Austria Vienna seems to remain a rumor – however, Hartberg and Wolfsberg are said to be looking more specifically at the 28-year-old midfielder.
Author
Raphael Watzinger
Sports editor
Raphael Watzinger
