MSV Duisburg has completed six weeks of training and seven test matches. It’s time for a quick form check before the third division kicks off on August 2.

Since the first training session on June 23, Dietmar Hirsch has had time to fine-tune his starting lineup for the first matchday at home against VfB Stuttgart II. At least nine positions in the starting eleven now seem to be clear.

While Tim Heike is likely to be preferred to Thilo Töpken as the lone striker in the familiar 4-2-3-1 system, the exciting question remains: Who will be the second defensive midfielder alongside new leader Rasim Bulic?

There is a lot to be said for Leon Müller, who has had to take it easy time and again after his long injury in the summer. Alternatively, defensive midfielder Florian Egerer or Jesse Tugbenyo could line up alongside the former Regensburg player.

In the attacking trio, new signing Dennis Borkowski scored a lot of points on the right wing in the latter stages of the season and is likely to have the edge in the three-way battle with Max Dittgen and Jan-Simon Symalla. The latter certainly needs to improve physically, but he definitely has the technical skills required for the 3rd division.

Promotion heroes Jakob Bookjans, who is likely to be second choice behind Christian Viet, and Steffen Meuer, who has often shone as a substitute in the Regionalliga, are also likely to start on the bench, as is former Mönchengladbach player Conor Noß.

The defense is solid. However, Hirsch emphasized repeatedly that he would like to ponder his personnel decisions. A back three is also possible during the season, depending on the opponent. In midfield, however, the choice is definitely the hardest. Max Braune – Joshua Bitter, Tobias Fleckstein, Alexander Hahn, Can Coskun, Rasim Bulic, Leon Müller – Dennis Borkowski, Christian Viet, Patrick Sussek – Tim Heike. Five winners, three losers Bulic, Borkowski, Viet, and Heike, four of the eight new signings, can be considered the winners of the preseason. Home-grown talent Gabriel Sadlek has established himself alongside Mert Göckan as the second backup for the left side of defense behind Can Coskun. Meanwhile, Ben Schlicke and Niklas Jessen will have to wait their turn, as the competition in the well-established central defense and at right back is too strong.

Jonas Michelbrink and Moritz Montag are the clear losers. Although both continue to train with the team, they were only allowed to play one half each against a lower-league opponent and did not even make the squad for the remaining games.

Most recently, Jannik Zahmel, who had been out with injury for a long time, was also missing. After his period of suffering, he had been looking forward to making a comeback as a new signing. With a squad of 27 players, it cannot be ruled out that the Zebras will part ways with two or three players.