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MSV Duisburg 2019-20 Season
Updated: Apr 25, 2020
MSV Duisburg are a professional football club playing in Germanys third tier league (3.Liga) after being relegated last season from 2.Bundesliga. The club haven’t been in the top promotion (Bundesliga) since 2008 and they have struggled to stay relevant despite being one of the founding members of the Bundesliga back in 1963. Duisburg is a city in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the city has a population of nearly 500,000 making it the 15th largest city in Germany. The team are currently 1st place in 3.Liga with 47 points and a 14-5-8 record; but they are only six points ahead of the number 10 seed. MSV Duisburg need a strong push to end the season as they try to earn promotion and return to 2.Bundesliga next season.
Record: 14-5-8 (47 Points) 50 Goals For, 35 Goals Against +15
Last Season: 6-10-18 (28 Points - 2. Bundesliga 18th) Relegation
Goalkeeping: Leo Weinkauf has played all 27 games for the club this season as the 23 year old is on loan from Hannover 96 for the year. He has a save percentage of 52% with 5 clean sheets. The two back-up goalies are 29 year old Swiss goalie Steven Deana who has played 109 games through ten seasons in the top two Swiss Leagues and 20 year old prospect goalie Jonas Brendieck
Defenders: Joshua Bitter, Lukas Boeder and Arne Sicker have really been the backbone of this defensive group as all three players have played the majority of the season. The three players are also in their early twenties and all of them are in their first season with the club. Joshua Bitter was previously with the youth program for Schalke 04 and he spent last season with Werder Bremen’s reserve squad. Arne Sicker has played his entire career with Holstein Kiel but he only managed 23 main squad appearances from 2015-2019. This season has been a big change for Sicker as he has been given a much bigger role playing significant minutes during an important season for Duisburg. Finally Lukas Boeder is a former German international player with 32 appearances for the National teams youth squads from 2012-2016 including 12 appearances for the U17 team. He has played at SC Paderborn since 2017 with 54 appearances over three seasons including a very active 2017-18 campaign with 36 appearances while they were in 3.Liga. The last defender on the line-up is a rotation between Marvin Compper with 16 appearances and Vincent Gembalies with 13 appearances this season. Marvin Compper is a very experienced player as the 34 year old has 195 appearances in the Bundesliga during his career with Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig and Borussia Monchengladbach. He has slowed down significantly since his prime years in Hoffenheim that included a 2008 appearance with the German National team. Vincent Gembalies has been with the MSV Duisburg youth squad since 2008 and the 20 year old is entering his second season with the main club after making his professional debut in March of 2019.
Midfielders: MSV Duisburg has a strong midfield unit that is led by captain Moritz Stoppelkamp who is in his third season with the club. The 33 year old has played in all three professional German leagues during his 15 year career that include seasons with Rot-Weis Oberhaussen, Hannover 96, 1860 Munich, SC Paderborn, Karlsruher SC and MSV Duisburg. He has been utilized as an attacking midfielder this season as he leads the team in scoring with thirteen goals and six assists. Playing next to Stoppelkamp is Lukas Daschner and either Leroy-Jacques Mickels or Ahmet Engin. Lukas Daschner has eight goals and six assists in 24 games this season as the 21 year old is really hitting his stride. His entire career has been with MSV Duisburg but the past three seasons have only seen him appear in a combined 16 games and he only started in 2 of those games. Leroy-Jacques Mickels has played as a striker and attacking midfielder throughout his career and the 24 year old is in his first season with Duisburg after playing five seasons with five different clubs in tier four and five German football. Mickels and Ahmet Engin rotate for the attacking midfield position and Engin has seen his role decline from previous seasons with Duisburg as he has been with the club since 2015. The 23 year old has appeared in 104 games with the Duisburg while scoring nine goals and he has four goals and four assists in 18 games this season. The two defensive midfielders for the club see a lot of playing time as Yassin Ben Bella and Tim Albutat are two of only seven players that have played over 2000 minutes so far this season. Yassin Ben Bella has spent the past three seasons with Rot-Weis Oberhaussen in tier four football playing 72 games with 13 goals. The move to Duisburg has given him stronger competition as the 24 year old French player has done well in his 23 appearances. Tim Albutat is a MSV Duisburg veteran playing in his six season with the club as he has played 141 games with the team scoring 7 goals. He is such a steady presence for the midfield and he is one of their most important players along with Stoppelkamp and Leo Weinkauf.
Forwards: The team has 25 year old Dutch forward Vincent Vermeij as their primary striker with Petar Sliskovic coming off the bench in 17 games this season as a substitute. Vincent Vermeij spent last season split between Heracles Almelo and Den Bosch in the Netherlands where he played a combined 25 games scoring 8 goals. He made the move to Duisburg in the summer of 2019 after having spent his entire career playing in the Netherlands. This season he has 10 goals and 5 assists in 25 appearances with Duisburg and he provides a great aerial threat at 6’5”. Petar Sliskovic is a substitute for Vermeij as the 29 year old Croatian forward played last season with VfR Aalen scoring six goals in 16 appearances. He played six seasons split between Mainz 05 and their reserve squad with 15 appearances for the main club scoring two goals. Since 2015 he has played for various teams in tier three German football and he does provide good minutes off the bench wherever he has played.
Remaining Season overview: MSV Duisburg are on track to win the title and promote up to 2.Bundesliga but they need to finish the season strong after the COVID-19 lockout ends. They come out of the break with a big road game against six place 1860 Munich but they follow that up with two easier home games against Carl Zeiss Jena and Chemnitzer FC. The rest of the season is prodomitaley against mid-table teams but in this competitive 3.Liga all teams are a threat to win the title at this point in the season with only six points separating Duisburg from the tenth place team. The final game of the year for MSV Duisburg could be a crucial game as they play SpVgg Unterhaching at home as Unterhaching currently sit in third place and only 3 points back of Duisburg.