Antonio Rudiger in training ground bust-up with Germany team-mate on eve of Euro 2024

Germany's Euro 2024 preparations have been thrown into disarray as two of their star players came to blows during a training session, just four days before their opening match. Julian Nagelsmann's squad is set to face Scotland in the first game of their home tournament at Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena, with kick-off slated for 8pm BST.

Despite the mounting pressure on Germany to clinch the trophy in front of their home crowd, tensions seem to be escalating within the team. Bild reports that ex-Chelsea and current Real Madrid ace Antonio Rudiger was embroiled in a training ground 'spat' with teammate Niclas Fullkrug.

The pair were reportedly pitted against each other in a crossing drill during a public training session when Rudiger's aggressive tackle left the Dortmund striker cursing on the ground. After appealing to coaches to intervene, Fullkrug confronted Rudiger, leading to a heated exchange that almost escalated into a physical fight before assistant coach Sandro Wagner stepped in.

The tension persisted even after a drinks break, with Rudiger sarcastically applauding his opponent. Wagner had to pacify the irate defender, who then left the team training to jog with a fitness coach.

However, it seems the dust has settled, with both players reaching out to each other on social media.

Fullkrug, who shares a close bond with Rudiger, took to Instagram posting a snap of the duo captioned "jumping into Euro week," eliciting a warm response from Rudiger who commented "Luuuuuckkkkkkkkeeeee" along with a heart emoji. The footballers have recently clashed in the Champions League final where Real Madrid triumphed over Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley, seizing their 15th European crown.

Ahead of Germany's Euros opener against Scotland, Fullkrug reflected: "We learnt some lessons from the Greece game which will be useful against Scotland. I'm interested to see how the coaches will prepare us for the game.

"I watched a Scotland match and they played differently to how I expected. They press very high. Against us, there'll be phases where they'll sit deeper.

"They try to get into shooting situations as quickly as possible, so it'll be important that we counter that and not let them show their dynamism. We'll prepare intensively this week. It's not just about preparing for the opponent, but also keeping our energy levels up and improving ourselves."

Germany's campaign continues as they face Hungary in their second group match before concluding the group stage with a game against Switzerland.