After the start of training Wednesday morning with the traditional lactate test, the Werder players took part in their first session on the pitch of the new season Thursday afternoon.
In addition to the established players, new acquisitions Mehmet Ekici, Tom Trybull and Aleksandar Stevanovic were following the orders of head coach Thomas Schaaf. Two players however were not on the training grounds - Mikael Silvestre and Lukas Schmitz.
While Schmitz was out with a gastro-intestinal infection, Silvestre could not practice due to pain in his knee. "Mikael has knee problems and will now be examined thoroughly. We will have to wait for the results, but he will not be available right away," said Schaaf about the Frenchman.
The Green-Whites were already in action in the morning as there was a photo session for the new autograph cards. Ekici, Fritz, Wiese and Co. pulled over the new kit from Nike for the first time and were photographed at Weser Stadium. Werder will have two sessions on Friday - at 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.