As is customary at the end of the year, the players of MSV Duisburg receive their grades in the big Forecasting report card following the first half of the season in the 3. Liga.

After a 0-0 draw at Viktoria Köln in the last game of the year, MSV Duisburg heads into the winter break as a promoted team in a strong third place in the standings. The Zebras have had a remarkable first half of the season in the 3rd League.

At the start of the winter break, the MSV pros from the 28-man squad receive the traditional Forecasting Report Card. Only players who have appeared in at least five competitive matches so far were considered for the evaluation. We start with the 15 players from the defense:

Max Braune: In his first half-season as the starting goalkeeper in the 3rd Division, the 22-year-old has proven to be a reliable presence, especially on the goal line. At the same time, the homegrown talent made several costly mistakes that led to goals against—errors that are part of his development. His recent contract extension was a logical step. With six shutouts, Duisburg’s number one is nonetheless among the league’s better goalkeepers and had a successful day to cap things off at Sportpark Höhenberg. RS Grade: Satisfactory Plus (3+)

Joshua Bitter: The right-back is currently in the form of his life and ranks among the team’s top performers and players with the right mentality. Two goals, three assists, and numerous offensive plays speak for themselves, alongside his solid defensive work. The absence of the “Ruhrpott Tarzan,” as Magenta Sport commentator Christian Straßburger dubbed him, was immediately noticeable during his yellow-card suspension in Cottbus. RS Rating: very good minus (1-)

Alexander Hahn: The captain and fan favorite continues to lead the way and, even after the Regionalliga championship, forms a well-coordinated center-back duo with Tobias Fleckstein. The positioning and heading ability of this promotion specialist—both offensively and defensively—are among his greatest strengths and overshadow occasional speed deficits against fast strikers. Two goals this season underscore the 32-year-old’s value. RS Rating: Good (2)

Tobias Fleckstein: Alongside Hahn, Braune, Can Coskun, Christian Viet, and Conor Noß, the MSV veteran—who has been with the club longer than Bitter—took the field in all 19 league matches. The 26-year-old scored against Schweinfurt and Rostock. Regardless of his disastrous day in Cottbus, marked by two major errors, he remains a key pillar of Duisburg’s strong defense. RS Rating: Good (2)

Can Coskun: The co-captain fully utilizes his offensive skills as a left-back. Speed, dribbling, and precise crosses characterize the player, who moved from Greifswald to Wedau in the summer of 2024. The 27-year-old has three goals and two assists and is an integral part of the solid back four. RS Rating: Very Good Minus (1-)

Mert Göckan: The trained left-back made 16 appearances, five of them starting, and under Dietmar Hirsch also found himself several times in the attacking trio on the unfamiliar right side. However, the former Wuppertal player’s performance has so far been less incisive and dangerous than it was in the Regionalliga. RS Rating: satisfactory (4)

Niklas Jessen: Planned before the season as a potential backup for Bitter, the former Dortmund player saw little playing time with just six substitute appearances. His assist to Max Dittgen for the 2-2 equalizer in Cottbus (final score 2-3) offered a glimmer of hope. Further opportunities to play could arise in the second half of the season. RS Rating: Satisfactory (4)

Rasim Bulic: The new signing from Regensburg immediately established himself as a key player. The powerful defensive midfielder is a fixture in the double-pivot of the 4-2-3-1 system and impresses with his strength in one-on-one situations and robust style of play. Standing 1.96 meters tall and weighing 84 kilograms, the defensive midfielder reminds many of Goran Sukalo. Despite his uncompromising style, Bulic has only received one yellow card suspension so far, shortly before the end of the first half of the season. He is still missing just one goal. RS Grade: Very Good Minus (1-)

Seven players without a grade

Substitute goalkeepers Julius Paris and Omer Hanin each made one appearance in the Lower Rhine Cup. Ben Schlicke arrived in Duisburg this summer with big goals and quickly issued a challenge to captain Hahn. However, the former Haching player has made only three brief appearances in the league. In the Lower Rhine Cup, the son of MSV legend Björn Schlicke played the full 90 minutes in every match, though he showed some uncertainty most recently in Sonsbeck.

Leon Müller, one of the promotion heroes, has a long history of injuries. Hirsch thinks highly of his defensive midfielder. After a months-long break, the unlucky player made his comeback in November and played the full 90 minutes in Cologne for the second time this season. Florian Egerer only came into the spotlight due to the injury crisis and made his 45-minute MSV third-division debut at Sportpark Höhenberg. Gabriel Sadlek and Moritz Montag have not yet seen any action in the 3. Liga and have mostly failed to make the squad—their futures are uncertain.

Expiring contracts: Paris, Fleckstein, Hahn, Göckan, Bitter, Montag, Egerer, Müller (until 2026), Hanin, Sadlek, Schlicke, Jessen, Bulic (until 2027), Coskun (extended until 2028), Braune (extended long-term).