Grahl makes his way back | OneFootball

With two days until the match at Dortmund, the Eagles are stepping up preparations. Jens Grahl is back in training, while Nnamdi Collins continues his rehab.

Two matches left of the season, two days until the start of Matchday 33 – and just two players out of action. Head coach Albert Riera and his team kicked off the roughly 75-minute session on Wednesday with an almost full-strength squad. Jens Grahl returned to the pitch at Deutsche Bank Park two weeks after his thigh injury and took part in goalkeeping and shooting drills. Nnamdi Collins remains in the treatment room as he recovers from the ankle injury he suffered in March, while Elias Baum was also absent because of exams. 

Eintracht are hoping to learn lessons from recent matches as they look ahead to Friday night’s game at Borussia Dortmund. With that in mind, the 27 Eagles covered the full spectrum of football on Wednesday: intricate passes in tight spaces, short passing sequences aimed at small goals, build-up play including shots at the full-size goal, crosses here, shots from the edge of the box there. All of this was repeatedly interspersed with a mini-tournament format – score or you’re out. It started with the warm-up, when the Frankfurt players had to outdo each other in a “young vs. old” heading contest.

And their heads will be important, especially in Dortmund, where Eintracht have managed just one win in their last 14 visits. The gauntlet has been thrown down.