MSV Duisburg face 1. FC Saarbrücken at the restart of the 3rd Division. This is the situation with the opponent.

The 2023 must-win year begins for MSV Duisburg next Saturday (2 p.m., RS-Liveticker) with a guest game at 1. FC Saarbrücken. There are certainly more thankful tasks.

FCS are second in the table and remained unbeaten six times in a row before the winter break. But two months have already passed since the last matchday. Has anything changed in Saarbrücken over the break? We took a look at the Zebras’ opponents.

How did the first leg go?

Bumpy in between, then really good at the back. The self-proclaimed promotion candidates lost sight of the top places in the autumn and reacted with a change of coach. Uwe Koschinat had to leave and manager Rüdiger Ziehl took over on an interim basis. Under the 45-year-old’s direction, Saarbrücken won five matches and drew one and climbed to second place in the table. After the winter break, Ziehl was chosen as the permanent solution for the coaching position.

What’s new?

Those responsible have held back on the transfer market so far. There are neither additions nor departures. Left-back Tobias Schwede has been released because he is currently facing legal proceedings. So far, the Saarlanders have only signed reinforcements for the coaching team. Ziehl will be supported by Yannic Thiel. The ex-professional most recently worked as a video analyst for Bundesliga side VfL Wolsburg and was Rüdiger Ziehl’s co-trainer at TSV Havelse last season. He is now in demand in this capacity at Saarbrücken.

How did the preparation go?

The dress rehearsal was successful. Last weekend, Saarbrücken defeated the West-Regionalligisten Fortuna Köln. Striker Kasim Rahibic scored both goals in the 2:1 win. The FCS had already completed a training camp in Turkey in December. Good for the club: During the long break, Adriano Grimaldi, Dominik Ernst, Julius Biada, Bjarne Thoelke and Luca Kerber were able to cure their injuries. The five professionals are training with the team again and could be part of the squad against Duisburg.

What are the goals for the rest of the season?

Promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga – that’s clear. Saarbrücken are two points ahead of their pursuers in third to fifth place. So it looks like it will be a close race behind leaders SV Elversberg. “We just want to play a lot of good games and get as many points as possible. We don’t need to hide from anyone,” Ziehl told SR. “In the end, we will see how many points are needed to be promoted and whether 1.FC Saarbrücken will be there then. “