Southampton's Pre-Season Challenge: Trio Ruled Out for Germany Camp

Southampton will head into a key block of pre-season work in Germany without Caspar Jander, Finn Azaz and Sam Edozie, after the trio were ruled out of the trip with minor injuries.

Tonda Eckert has named a 29-man group for the eight-day camp in North Rhine-Westphalia, where Saints will face Eintracht Braunschweig and Preuben Munster on either side of an intensive week on the training pitch. The focus there will be rhythm, fitness, and sharpening patterns of play before competitive football returns.

Jander, Azaz and Edozie will instead stay behind at the Staplewood training ground for treatment and rehabilitation. The club view the issues as minor, but with the season creeping into view, there is no appetite to gamble.

Jander’s setback came in Southampton’s opening pre-season outing against Eastleigh last Saturday, when the midfielder was forced off. The decision to keep him in England underlines his growing importance as an option in the middle of the pitch and the need to have him fully ready for the real business.

Training Camp in Germany

For Eckert, the camp in Germany offers a crucial chance to work with the bulk of his squad in a controlled environment, to test combinations and build cohesion before the fixtures start to matter. For those left at home, the race is simpler: get fit, stay fit, and rejoin the group as quickly as the medical team allows.

Upcoming Fixtures

Once the squad returns from Germany, the warm-up games will give way to knockout jeopardy. Southampton open their EFL Cup campaign against Colchester United, then dive straight into the grind of the Championship with an away trip to Watford.

Pre-season is almost over. The margins, already, are getting smaller.