MSV Duisburg has successfully passed the last endurance test before the start of the third division. After the win against De Graafschap (2:1), co-coach Michael Hiemisch commented on the final touches.

Torsten Ziegner was unable to attend the “friendly” against Dutch second-division team De Graafschap (2:1) at the PCC Stadium on the Homberger Rheindeich due to an operation. And yet the MSV head coach will be able to go into the final week of training before the opener at SC Freiburg II on August 6 (4:30 p.m.) with a good feeling.

His assistant Michael Hiemisch saw “20 brutal first minutes” in addition to the goals from Niklas Kölle and Alaa Bakir. The opponent had a good playful approach, similar to Freiburg. In the second half, De Graafschap had more spaces at high speed. That’s when the game slipped out of our hands a bit. I would like us to find our game again, but we defended well and won the game with good counterattacks,” praised the Duisburg assistant coach, who replaced Ziegner.

After two days off, Ziegner’s return from Wednesday is to find “the last remaining freshness and effervescence” in the decisive phase for the start of the must-win match at SC Freiburg II. “We still have to be more concentrated and still had too many individual blunders in it,” criticized Hiemisch.

The starting eleven in Homberg already looked a lot like the formation that could also be on the sheet at Dreisamstadion. Vincent Mueller stood on Sunday the entire 90 minutes between the posts. But the race for the number one remains open. During the week, the final decision will be made.

“It was a finger pointing that he is top fit again. All three goalkeepers were convincing in their own way. We are close to our potential first eleven, but of course we still have to wait and see if all players stay healthy and fit,” added Hiemisch.

That is not the case with Pascal Köpke and Phillip König. Both the top newcomer from Nuremberg and the striker König, who was particularly convincing in Hamborn, recently departed from the training camp in Heiligenstadt in poor health. “Pascal is making great progress. To what extent it is already enough for the team training again, the medical department must decide,” Hiemisch left open. König, on the other hand, will be able to return to full fitness in the final spurt and hopes to be more than just an alternative at center forward.