MSV Duisburg is facing its next big match in the 3. Liga. Against TSV 1860 Munich, the team aims to bounce back from the 1-5 loss in Rostock. Here’s what the coach had to say ahead of the game.

MSV Duisburg got off to a disastrous start to the 3. Liga’s top-tier match weeks with a 1-5 defeat at Hansa Rostock. While the offensive play was certainly impressive, the defense once again revealed major weaknesses—not for the first time in the second half of the season. Even in the 1-6 loss to SV Wehen Wiesbaden, MSV looked anything but ready for promotion.

Coach Dietmar Hirsch likely had some strong words to say during the week. On the bright side for MSV: They now have another home game coming up. On Sunday (4:30 p.m.), the match against TSV 1860 Munich offers a chance to deliver the much-needed response before the international break. The team wants to enter this phase on a high note—the conditions aren’t bad, after all, as Duisburg remains undefeated at home.

However, Hirsch will have to do without key players. In addition to the injured forwards Dennis Borkowski and Maximilian Dittgen, Patrick Sussek is also suspended. Particularly bitter: Sussek has already racked up an impressive 15 points this season.
It just does something to the guys when they play in front of their own fans. The players rave about this atmosphere

Dietmar Hirsch
Even with a full roster, the task would have been challenging, as the “Lions” are currently in good form. 1860 has been undefeated for six games, and they’ve lost only twice in their last eleven matches. Hirsch is accordingly cautious: “Munich has been very consistent and is having a strong second half of the season. They concede few goals and are strong on set pieces. They’re happy to let the opponent have the ball and transition very quickly when they have possession.”
That said, Hirsch hopes his team will respond again, especially since he emphasizes that he’s heard how much the players look forward to playing at home: “It just does something to the guys when they play in front of their own fans. The players rave about this atmosphere. But you also have to say that we’ve conceded a lot at home lately.”

For example, against 1. FC Saarbrücken, when the final score was 4-2. Hirsch highlights the underlying issue: “In Rostock, we didn’t have possession until the score was 0-1; too often, we’re not getting into the tackles properly. We need to get back to being tough like we were in the Regionalliga, where teams didn’t really want to play against us. We play well with the ball, but we also need to get back to really wanting to defend.”