MSV Duisburg and VfL Osnabrück will open the 2022/2023 Third Division season on Friday evening, with Torsten Ziegner fielding this eleven.

The 2022/2023 season has not even begun for MSV Duisburg and already the Zebras are plagued by injury worries. It was known that the long-term injured Rolf Feltscher (inner ligament) and Leroy Kwadwo (hip) as well as Julian Hettwer and Phillip König (both in rehabilitation training) would be absent for the opening match in Osnabrück (7 pm, RS-Ticker/Magenta). In addition, coach Torsten Ziegner will surprisingly have to do without Marvin Knoll, Tobias Fleckstein, Rudolf Ndualu and Joshua Bitter due to illness.

At least captain Moritz Stoppelkamp and Aziz Bouhaddouz (starting eleven) as well as Chinedu Ekene (bench), who all had to miss the Schauinslandreisen Cup, are available.

This is how the teams line up:

VfL Osnabrück: Kühn – O. Traoré, Chato, Gyamfi, Kleinhansl – Tesche, S. Köhler, Simakala, Putaro – Heider, Engelhardt

Bench: Adamczyk (Goal), Beermann, Haas, Rorig, Satkus, Wiethaup, J. Wulff, Higl, Oduah

MSV Duisburg: V. Müller – Frey, Mai, Senger – Ajani, Jander, Bakalorz, Kölle – Bakir, Bouhaddouz, Stoppelkamp

Bench: Braune (goal), Raeder (goal), Gembalies, Pusch, Stierlin, Ekene

Ziegner was in an upbeat mood ahead of the game. “The anticipation is there now, of course, and the players are on their toes. Finally, points are at stake,” said the coach. He expects Osnabrück to be a big challenge, an opponent “who will be on fire from the first minute on”.

Nevertheless, the 44-year-old stressed: “But we are looking forward to it and are well prepared. We have good form and the necessary stability in the team right at the start of the point game. That’s why we’re going to Osnabrück very confidently.” At Bremerbrücke, he said, the team must try to “take the game into our own hands and not just react. “