Borussia Dortmund

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Training camp in Stegersbach, Day 6: Game tactics, the sun - and a sheikh

[20.07.] After the end of Tuesday´s training, the fans in Stegersbach rubbed their eyes when a sheikh dressed in white walked to the BVB team bus. But to end speculations right here and now: the alleged oil sheikh was no other than Patrick Owomoyela who had put a white towel around his head to seek protection from the burning sun.

Johannes Vorspohl reporting from Stegersbach

Mats Hummels (right) fighting for the ball with Dimitar Rangelov. [pictures: Bielefeld, Gasteier]

After the coordination and sprint drills on Monday, the training on Tuesday morning focused on game tactics. Seven attacking players had to get past four defenders and a midfielder. "It was less running than on Monday, but still very intensive for us. And the heat makes it even more difficult to stay focused," said Mats Hummels after the training session.

Hummels, who joined BVB from Bayern Munich in January 2008, is already in his third season with Borussia Dortmund. Despite his young age (21), the central defender is by no means one of the youngest players in the squad, and so he wants to take a more active role in the team. "Given the fact that I always want to play, I want to prove that I can lead the way and take on responsibility," emphasised Hummels.

Patrick Owomoyela created quite a stir with his outfit.

The temperatures are expected to rise further in the next couple of days. The forecast for Wednesday is 36 degrees Celsius in the shade. The weather has, of course, an impact on training which is interrupted for drink breaks more often than usual, and there´s also always a bucket full of ice on hand. And who knows, maybe Patrick Owomoyela´s oriental dress will start a fashion trend in Stegersbach.

On Wednesday night (21/07, K.O. 1900), Borussia Dortmund will face their first real test of the pre-season when they take on Turkish champions Bursaspor at the football ground in Stegersbach. "Here we can compete with the best. We want to put into action what we´ve worked on so far in the pre-season," said Tamas Hajnal. His team-mate Felipe Santana is also expecting a tough test: "But we have the quality and strength to put in a good performance."