MSV Duisburg - 1. FCK Kaiserslautern Preview: Zebras and Red Devils face off in season opener

1. FC Kaiserslautern and MSV Duisburg have the honour of opening up the 2015-16 2. Bundesliga season at the MSV-Arena. In what should be an entertaining clash, Kosta Runjaic will travel to his former club hoping for a less-dramatic opening than last year.

After being 2-0 and a man down at half-time to 1860 Munich on matchday one of the 2014-15 campaign, the Red Devils turned things around full circle to secure a 3-2 win. This time, however, Duisburg are likely to be a tougher nut to crack - especially with Gino Lettieri at the helm.

The summer window meant both sides had plenty of changes to make, though it definitely hit Runajic and his team much harder than his Italian compatriot. The young core of his squad - Dominique Heintz, Philipp Hofmann, Willi Orban, Kerem Demirbay and Amin Younes - have departed, meaning plenty of changes were required to get the squad up to scratch.

Stipe Vucur, Sascha Mockenhaupt and Daniel Halfar were some of the players brought in to fill the void, and plenty of scrutiny will be whoever starts at centre-half. Orban and Heintz were arguably the best partnership in the division last season, and it will be interesting to see how a new pairing fare.

Duisburg look set for a very solid return to the second division. Dustin Bomheuer has been recruited in defence, and he should start alongside veteran Branimir Bajic. It is up front that they have strengthened most, and they've done a marvelous job. Stanislav Iljutcenko, Thomas Bröker and Simon Brandstetter coming into the club make them a fearsome side going forwards.

Despite being the hero against Holstein Kiel, which earned them promotion to the 2. Bundesliga, Michael Gardawski departed on a free transfer. However, despite that, the Zebras could be a surprise package this term.

Key players

Zlatko Janjic will be keen to carry on his impeccable form from last term, where he carried the Zebras back to the second division. The Bosnian attacking midfielder netted 17 times and added eight assists in a near flawless campaign. Michael Ratajczak was similarly impressive between the sticks last year, while Kingsley Onuegbu and Stanislav Iljutcenko are certain to provide a real goalscoring threat.

The arrival of Daniel Halfar will surely have excited everyone around the Fritz-Walter-Stadion, especially after multiple attacking departures. He'll be hoping to showcase the form of 1. FC Köln's promotion season of 2013-14, and have the home fans on the edge of their seats. Jean Zimmer is the only remaining member of last year's six Germany under-21 players in the squad, and his attacking ability from defence is not to be underestimated.

Referee

Sascha Stegemann will be in the man in the middle for Friday's curtain-raiser. The 31-year-old is one of the top referees in the division, and was rewarded with eight Bundesliga games following three successful seasons in the 2. Bundesliga. Herbert Fandel, the chairman of the DFB's refereeing committee, said that Stegemann is a "clear and courageous" official - high praise indeed for a referee expected to go on to big things.

Team news

Duisburg will be without new signing Dan-Patrick Poggenberg, who recently arrived from VfL Wolfsburg, after he sustained a broken tibia in pre-season. Erik Willie is still going through rehab following hip surgery, Andreas Wiegel and Kevin Scheidhauer will also miss the game with knee ligament injuries.

Their visitors are also unable to select a few key players due to injury. Marcel Gaus' persistent problem with his leg still requires further rehab, and Michael Schulze is also likely to miss the game due to an irritated Achilles tendon. Sebastian Jacob's ACL tear means that he will play no part on Friday evening.