Before MSV Duisburg’s game at SC Verl on Saturday, coach Boris Schommers praised the team spirit. He will definitely change his starting eleven.
On Saturday, February 10, MSV Duisburg will face SC Verl, who are currently in eighth place in the table. The East Westphalia team are still aiming for third place in the relegation play-off and are five points behind. A home win against MSV would be a must. “I expect a team that wants to solve many situations in a playful way,” said MSV coach Boris Schommers at the press conference in advance.
The Duisburg team wants to hold out collectively. “If we press, then with every player. They are very good with the ball and have a good passing game. We have to be careful not to give them too much space.”
Offensively, something should happen at MSV. “I hope that compared to the game against Regensburg, we can create more scoring chances and get more space, so that we can get more shots on target and, of course, score goals.” The Upper Palatinate team have the best defense in the league, having conceded 19 goals.
Regarding the personnel situation, Schommers said: “We’ve all heard that Casper Jander is out with a knee injury after the foul. I won’t be able to reveal any more at the moment.”
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Schommers emphasized that he would not despair over the thin personnel cover and the absences of numerous key players. “We know that we can’t necessarily replace these players one-for-one. So we have to absorb the losses collectively.”
For example, the loss of captain Sebastian Mai, who was also extremely important as a communicator on the pitch. “Now, several players talk on the pitch, which may not have been the case before because Basti always set the tone. I like that very much.”
On the other hand, newcomer Erik Zenga could be called upon. “He makes a good impression. Of course, you can tell that he hasn’t had any competitive practice in the past few months. We threw him in against Regensburg, and he did a decent job. He was present and brings mental strength. I liked that,” said Schommers. “He is an alternative and very important for us.”
Joshua Bitter, who is returning from a red card suspension, will definitely play. “I’m not going to hide that. If he can survive the next two days of training, he’ll be back in the starting lineup.”
Baran Mogultay is “certainly an option again” after suffering an ankle injury in training last week. Schommers wants to wait and see how training goes. “He is still not completely free of symptoms.”