After the 2:0 defeat in Bielefeld, MSV Duisburg must travel to Essen for the derby. The demands of the coach and players differ with regard to the game.

After the clear 0:2 defeat against Arminia Bielefeld, MSV Duisburg have a hugely important match on the program in the 3rd division. With a five-point gap to the safety zone and seven games remaining, every game is a final. And on the next matchday in particular, the game will take on even greater importance. Because it’s derby time: Rot-Weiss Essen host the Zebras (Sunday, April 7, 4:30 p.m.).

Despite the now increased gap to the non-relegation places, MSV coach Boris Schommers still believes in staying in the league: “We will analyze why we lost and then we will, for example, defend the standard better next week. The belief is alive and if we continue on this path, I believe we can stay in the league. We’ll show a similar face in Essen, but we’ll have the momentum on our side and score the 1:0.”

Showing a similar face is out of the question for MSV keeper Vincent Müller. He even calls for a completely different attitude: “I think we have to go to Essen with a different attitude. We can’t go there with an attitude like we did against Bielefeld. In terms of play, they are much better than Bielefeld. If we go into the game with that kind of attitude, then it won’t look good. But that won’t happen to us. We know how important the game is for us, the club and the fans. That will get into our heads and has to get into our heads because it’s a derby and everyone knows that.”

Duisburg lost the first leg 2-1, with the decisive goal coming in the 93rd minute. The Zebras will be looking to return the favor in the second leg and also secure an away win. However, an away game is not a good place to go. The last away win dates back to February 10 with a 3:1 victory in Verl. Three defeats have followed since then

A statistic that defender Niklas Kölle doesn’t think much of: “This might even be the most important game of the season. If we play our game, we can win every game. I’m not a fan of statistics. Now we have the game in Essen, it doesn’t matter whether it’s at home or away. It has to be a cracker. We need the percentages that were lacking against Bielefeld on top of the Saarbrücken performance.”

The sold-out match at the stadium on Hafenstrasse will show whether the MSV Duisburg team can catch its breath or whether the train to Regionalliga West is slowly departing