Antonio Rüdiger, Germany's defender, trained separately from the rest of his teammates on Thursday in his first session after getting injured in the last group stage match. He is pushing his chances to be ready for the round of 16 clash against Denmark.

The Real Madrid center-back suffered a thigh strain at the end of Germany's 1-1 draw with Switzerland. Since then, for four days, he had not been able to step onto the training field under Julian Nagelsmann's guidance. In the fourth session, Rüdiger appeared to the relief of his coach. Despite touching the ball and making movements with it, he worked apart from the rest of the team.

Rüdiger might not recover fully, and he may push himself to be in the center of Germany's defense, already weakened by the enforced absence of Jonathan Tah due to suspension. Nico Schlotterbeck, who will fill that gap, confirmed in a press conference on Thursday that he will play alongside Rüdiger on Saturday.

"I hope to do well with Rüdiger, we've already played together. The coaching staff has given us the offensive and defensive game plan, and now the match can start," he said.

Rüdiger still has Friday's and Saturday morning's sessions to push his chances of playing in this crucial match for Germany. The Real Madrid center-back is a key player for his team and does not want to miss the game, so all signs point to him being ready in time to fight for a place in the quarterfinals.