Storm without a goalscorer

A matter of the head! That’s why Biereth was missing from the test run!

Mika Biereth was the big absentee in the test against Lugano.(Bild: GEPA)

Duel between the league leaders at the camp in Marbella: In the first test of the preparation, Sturm faced Lugano, leader of the Swiss team. The Blacks prevailed 2:1. The sporting management was satisfied with the test gallop. Not (or no longer) present: Danish goal scorer Mika Biereth!

Coach Jürgen Säumel: "It was the first test after five days of training and after the vacation, where you don't know exactly where you stand. We gained some important insights. In the first 20 minutes, we lacked intensity in the build-up, but then we got into the game better. After the break, we didn't play vertically forward enough. But the attitude was right, we trained hard yesterday."

Böving and Hödl were absent with injuries, Biereth due to the "side effects" of a possible Monaco transfer. "You could tell in the training sessions recently that his head wasn't clear. I spoke to him and decided that he wouldn't play. Mika has a lot of issues around him, he's dealing with requests, he's still a young player," says Säumel.

While his colleagues were put to the test against Lugano, the goalkeeper trained individually. Whether he will play in the next test on Saturday remains to be seen. "I will continue to monitor him."

Michael Parensen also left satisfied after the first match. "Physically, we're already back to a good level," explained the sporting director. According to the German, the break for Biereth was also for his own good. "We also want to protect him from an injury if he's not at full stretch."

Test: Sturm - Lugano 2:1 (1:0). Grgic (33.), Cimignani (47., own goal); Koutsias (71.).