The captain is back on board. Werder captain Torsten Frings trained for the first time with the team Monday afternoon after heavy bruising in his hip area. The Werder midfielder was satisfied with his first collective session with his teammates. "It is going really good. Until now I haven’t had any problems," said Frings after the sweat-inducing practice.

There was also no additional fluid buildup in the treated area. In the mean time, striker Claudio Pizarro is coming closer and closer to returning to team training. On Monday he had running training with Werder’s U23 team. "I have done a lot for my conditioning, so I am a bit tired. But the muscle is holding up well," said the Peruvian about his progress from a muscle ligament tear. And Pizarro is determined to practice with his teammates this week. "Maybe I can go already on Wednesday," said the striker.