Højlund and Skhiri ease back in | OneFootball

The midfield duo joined in with parts of training following their recent injuries, while Robin Koch and Kevin Trapp worked individually.

The Eintracht Frankfurt first team were given the day off on Tuesday, not that they need any extra power in their legs. The Eagles are in the top three in the Bundesliga with 5,219 sprints this season, while they also boast four of the 20 fastest players after 22 matchdays in Ansgar Knauff, Nnamdi Collins, Jean-Mattéo Bahoya and Hugo Ekitiké. However, the Eagles are not resting on their laurels in the physical department, as was made clear by the first of five training sessions ahead of the top-of-the-table clash in Munich on Sunday.

“It’s about speed of execution in the mind,” said head coach Dino Toppmöller, explaining to the players the reason and purpose behind the snappy, small-sided games that the coaching team had thought up. Three teams of seven outfield players faced each other alternately between the centre and byline in the freezing cold. The aim of the game: as soon as the ball was out of play, the next ball rolled straight back, sometimes flying high like a boomerang in front of the goal. It was impossible to switch off.

By this point, Oscar Højlund was no longer involved. The Dane was forced off with pain in the ankle during the home win over Holstein Kiel last time out and, after a pain-free warm-up, completed some of the exercises for around 45 minutes before things went up a gear. Ellyes Skhiri, who missed out on Sunday because of a knock to the ribs, also got through a reduced programme. Robin Koch worked individually as he recovers from a shoulder injury, as did Kevin Trapp in the morning before returning to the pitch for the second shift of the day.