SC are back in Schruns for the 20th year in a row. A large banner on the bridge over the River Litz is SC’s way of saying thank you for two decades of friendship and support. Bright red SC benches can also be found around the town, giving locals and fans somewhere to sit, relax and have a chat. And there are certainly plenty of stories to tell. From the early years at Hotel Löwen, with its huge welcome signs covering the hotel wall, to the time spent at Vitalquelle and its phenomenal food, and now the team’s modern-day base at the Alpenhotel.

That was where the SC travelling party headed on Wednesday lunchtime after a morning training session in Freiburg. A total of 30 players boarded the bus to Austria. The only members of the squad not making the journey were World Cup participants Philipp Lienhart and Igor Matanović, who are expected in Schruns on Saturday, along with the injured Florent Muslija and goalkeeper Noah Atubolu. “Together with Noah, we decided that it made sense for him to continue his training programme in Freiburg at this stage,” said chief sporting officer Jochen Saier before departure. “Discussions with clubs are easier to coordinate from Freiburg than they would be from the training camp in Schruns.”

The training group also includes U23 players Mateo Zelic, Leon Catak, Mladen Mijajlovic and Jannik Veit. Mijajlovic and Veit are expected to remain with the squad until Friday and will therefore be available for the first friendly of the new season. SC face English second-tier side Derby County on 24th July. The Rams finished eighth in last season’s Championship, narrowly missing out on the play-offs. Kick-off at the Velly Arena in Imst, Tyrol, is at 16:00 CEST, with tickets already available via local club SC Imst’s website.

Before the final friendly of the training camp a week later, against SpVgg Greuther Fürth on Friday, 31st July (14:00 CEST in Schruns, tickets available at the gate), SC will use train at the Sportplatz am Golm to put the finishing touches on preparations for a demanding start to the season, with the Conference League play-offs, DFB-Pokal and Bundesliga all on the horizon. Both friendlies will be streamed live and free of charge on SC’s website and YouTube channel.