The top match between Energie Cottbus and MSV Duisburg will be a battle for the top of the table. MSV coach Dietmar Hirsch will be without one of his key players.
When Energie Cottbus hosts MSV Duisburg on Saturday (December 6, 2 p.m.) for the top match of Matchday 17 in the 3. Liga, both teams will be fighting for nothing less than the top spot in the standings. Duisburg coach Dietmar Hirsch and his team aim to defend their position at the top with a win.
Second-place Cottbus is tied on points with Duisburg and trails by just one goal in goal difference. If the two teams split the points this weekend, third-place SC Verl could also jump to the top of the standings, provided they win their away match against TSV Havelse.
MSV coach Hirsch is already fired up for the upcoming match. He notes that it’s not a given that two teams would face off in such a top-tier matchup at this point in the season, and that both teams have more than earned this showdown based on their performances so far.
“There will be a great atmosphere, and it will be a positively intense and emotional match. Cottbus is a team that rightfully belongs up there; they defend very well and, above all, have a very compact formation. That means we’ll have to be very patient with the ball,” Hirsch explained at the pre-match press conference.
We have to try to keep the opponent out of our penalty area and impose our style of play through both quick transitions and calm periods of possession
Dietmar Hirsch
Furthermore, Duisburg’s successful coach warned of the individual quality of the upcoming opponent. In particular, Tolcay Cigerci (11 goals, 6 assists) and Erik Engelhardt (10 goals, 1 assist) are players capable of making the difference.
“They play very boldly with the ball and have a strikingly high number of players in the box. At times, they have five or six players in the box, and there’s always a lot going on there,” Hirsch explained. “We have to try to keep the opponent out of our box and impose our game through both quick transitions and calm periods of possession.”
Against Cottbus, Hirsch will have to do without key player Joshua Bitter. During Duisburg’s 3-1 win over Alemannia Aachen last matchday, the right back received his fifth yellow card and is therefore suspended for the upcoming top-of-the-table clash.
“Mert Göckan would be one option to replace him, but that doesn’t have to be the final decision. We’re trying out a few things and still have other options,” Hirsch revealed. “Leon Müller has already played in that position, and Niklas Jessen is also a natural right back. So we have a few options we can fall back on.”
The roughly 1,000 traveling MSV fans will find out by Saturday afternoon at the latest who will ultimately take Bitter’s place in the starting lineup and whether Duisburg can defend its top spot in the standings.