confirm

German

dates

AN ALPINE

ADVENTURE

BURNLEY have finally firmed up their pre-season schedule by confirming two games against German opponents.

The Clarets, who returned to pre-season training today, will play Bundesliga 2 teams during their week-long training camp in Austria at the end of this month.

SV Wacker Burghausen will first face Steve Cotterill's side on Tuesday, 27 July in Gmunden, a town 35 miles east of Salzburg (6pm KO).

The seven-day trip is then rounded off with a short hop over the border into Bavaria on Saturday, July 31, when Burnley will face a select XI from TSV 1860 Munich.

The second game takes place at 6pm in Freilassing, nestling just in Germany only a few miles north west of Salzburg.

Both of Burnley's opponents are gearing up to compete in the second rung of German football next season.

Burghausen finished 10th last season in the league - the equivalent of the English First Division.

Munich, who have former Bristol City striker Paul Agostino in their ranks, join them in Bundesliga 2 following relegation last season, when they finished second bottom in the German top flight.

Cotterill declared: "I am happy with those two games. It is perfect for us to face some quality opposition as part of the pre-season fitness training

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programme and it should provide my players with a test.

"It's taken quite a while to get things sorted, but we have done remarkably well in such a short space of time to organise a training camp and games and I'm delighted with the outcome."

The timing of the announcement coincides perfectly with pre-season training, which began earlier today when the players met Cotterill for the first time.

It also completes the Clarets pre-season fixture list, which begins with a trip to Conference neighbours Accrington Stanley on Saturday, July 10 (3pm KO).

Scottish Premier League side Dundee United will be Cotterill's first opponents at Turf Moor the following Saturday, July 17 (3pm KO).

Everton, expected to be without injured England ace Wayne Rooney, travel to Burnley on Thursday, July 22 - three days before the Clarets fly out to Salzburg.

On their return, Burnley will then have a free week to concentrate on topping up their fitness levels before facing Sheffield United at Turf Moor in the Coca Cola Championship curtain raiser on Saturday, August 7.