Stuttgart manager Markus Babbel needs a big result to ease some of the pressure on his shoulders. That opportunity could come on Saturday when the struggling side play host to bottom side Hertha Berlin.
Stuttgart sit just one place above the drop zone, and they have not won in five league matches. Their winless run is nine games when spanning all competitions. They were held to a 0-0 draw at Borussia Mönchengladbach just before the international break on 7 November.
Hertha, on the other hand, have managed to be far worse this season. The club have not won since opening day, and they were beaten 1-0 at home by an underwhelming Köln before the international break. For new manager Friedhelm Funkel - who took over from the sacked Lucien Farve - results need to come quickly.
Babbel goes into the match with a very healthy squad, but Serdar Tasci (foot), Ricardo Osorio (muscle injury) and Sami Khedira (foot) continue to miss out.
For Hertha, Sascha Burchert and Raffael are suspended for various disciplinary actions, and there are many injuries to report. Timo Ochs, Pal Dardai and Rasmus Bengtsson continue to miss out with various ailments.
Stuttgart should be able to get a result at home against the worst team in Germany thus far on the season. If they drop points here, the votes of confidence for Babbel might quickly go by the wayside.
REVIEW:
Hertha Berlin remained bottom of the Bundesliga on Saturday, but they picked up a valuable point in a 1-1 draw away to 10-man Stuttgart, who remain third from bottom.
Stuttgart came close twice in the opening phases of the game, but Alexander Hleb's shot went wide of Jaroslav Drobny's goal. Despite the early pressure, Stuttgart could not find the breakthrough.
That cost them four minutes into the second half when Hertha took the lead, Gustavo Adrián Ramos slotting home after going round goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. The substitute was expertly put through by Romanian midfielder Max Nicu.
Stuttgart immediately picked up the pressure and got an equalizer with eight minutes to play, Zdravko Kuzmanovic slotting home from inside the area after being picked out by Julian Schieber.