The professionals of MSV Duisburg have the New Year off. The final phase of the third division club’s winter preparations begins on Monday.

The next short holiday – but this time very little luggage will do. The third division footballers of MSV Duisburg can now celebrate the turn of the year. On Monday, coach Torsten Ziegner will ring in the hot phase of winter preparation.

Normality will then also return to the daily training routine. Due to the break in play in the course of the World Cup in Qatar, the Zebras already had a holiday in November this time. They also had days off over Christmas. Now it will be a matter of finding the rhythm. Then, defender Sebastian Mai and midfielder Alaa Bakir, who had recently reduced their workload for health reasons, will also increase their intensity. Both want to be ready for the start of the league.

In the coming week, two test matches without spectators are on the agenda. On Thursday, MSV will play against Oberliga team KFC Uerdingen, and on Saturday, 7 January, at second-division team SC Paderborn 07. The third-division programme begins for MSV Duisburg on Saturday, 14 January, at 2 p.m., with an away game at 1. FC Saarbrücken.

MSV Duisburg: Stoppelkamp still ill

On Thursday, the team worked out at the Vita Centre at Kaiserberg. Spinning and yoga were on the agenda. Phillip König, who had been ill recently, is fit again. Captain Moritz Stoppelkamp and Chinedu Ekene hope for better health in the new year.

On Wednesday, coach Torsten Ziegner invited the players to a team-building session. Since MSV is not going to a winter training camp this time either, the players in Duisburg have to continue to grow together off the pitch. In the Escape Room in the City Palais in the city centre, the aim was to find their way to freedom by solving several tasks. All the players returned to daylight. The winning team included goalkeeper Max Braune and field players Gordon Wild, Caspar Jander and Rolf Feltscher.