MSV Duisburg fans will clearly have the upper hand in the stands at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II. MSV coach Dietmar Hirsch is looking forward to it.
MSV Duisburg travels to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II as league leaders. And despite the match being scheduled for Friday evening, November 21, at 7:30 p.m., and the stadium being difficult to reach by public transport, around 1,000 Zebra fans will be making the trip. There will also be a box office on the day.
Hirsch welcomes the large crowd of visitors. “That’s great. In recent weeks, we’ve had classic away games in larger stadiums, where the visitors’ section was of course well attended. We appreciate that. If 1,000 or more Duisburg fans are in Hoffenheim, then I believe we will be in the majority and have a home game. It’s a small stadium, we’re playing under floodlights. I’m looking forward to it.”
The fact that the TSG professionals will be playing an hour later in nearby Mainz is likely to have only a limited impact on the home crowd. In terms of atmosphere, the MSV fans will have the upper hand – and Hirsch may even be able to give audible commands.
Because they tend to get lost in the atmosphere of the home games. “With over 20,000 spectators in our arena, it’s difficult, but it’s a little easier in Hoffenheim. But even if I can’t reach the players verbally, they make good decisions. The less I have to shout, the better they do. But of course, I always try to help.”
The away game against the seventh-placed team should be quite interesting from a sporting point of view. TSG has already caused some top teams and those aspiring to be top teams some serious pain with VfL Osnabrück (4-0), TSV 1860 Munich (5-1), Hansa Rostock (1-0), and Energie Cottbus (4-1).
“They’ve also lost to top teams like Essen,” Hirsch countered, but he also praised the opponents. “Hoffenheim II is rightly in the upper half of the table. They are a good team and have achieved exceptional results recently. But they have also surprised us negatively. Hoffenheim II is an extremely strong, courageous team that has very good players, especially on the offensive wings. They like to go one-on-one at speed. We have to defend that.”