Day 2 at the training camp: The Violets brave the heat

At the height of the heatwave, temperatures soared to just under 40 degrees during Monday’s afternoon training session. On Tuesday morning, too, the Veilchen worked up quite a sweat on the training pitch at the AVITA Hotel in Bad Tatzmannsdorf. Austria are well prepared for the extreme conditions: in the shaded area right next to the pitch, the players have access not only to water and isotonic drinks, but also to ice tubs to help them recover after the session.

“In these extreme conditions, it is very important to keep a constant eye on fluid balance. Players lose between one and three litres of water per hour during training – this varies greatly from person to person. It is crucial to stay hydrated to avoid a drop in performance,” explains fitness coach Christian Balga.

A few Austria fans also braved the heat and made sure not to miss the morning training session. They watched an intense session that concluded with a mini-tournament: two teams of ten faced off in several 90-second matches played in a five-a-side (4+1) versus five-a-side plus a joker format – short matches played at maximum intensity. You can see the winning team in the photo above.