Berlin (dpa) - SV Hamburg and VfB Stuttgart hold a clutch of
Bundesliga titles between them but both are focused on survival when
they meet in a midweek round on Tuesday.
And the champions in 2011 and 2012, Borussia Dortmund, will
hope to exit the bottom three when they face high-flying Wolfsburg on Wednesday.
"We must complete our work at home," Hamburg defender Dennis Diekmeier said. Following a goalless draw away to Freiburg on Saturday, Hamburg are 14th and only three points above bottom club Stuttgart.
But the northerners have won their last three home matches in succession and will be in confident mood in front of their own fans.
Midfielder Lewis Holtby spoke of the need to regenerate quickly with one hard game following on from another and fitness could well prove crucial.
Hamburg are already without central defender Heiko Westermann through injury and if Cleber fails to recover from a shoulder knock picked up at the weekend, Gojko Kacar could be recalled.
Stuttgart claimed a scarcely deserved draw at Mainz on Saturday and coach Huub Stevens will hope for a better result against Hamburg than the last time he took on one of his former sides.
Schalke dismantled his new charges 4-0 on December 6 but the Dutchman will be determined to avoid a repeat against Hamburg, a club he coached from early 2007 to summer 2008.
"We hope for more points before the year ends," Stevens said.
And defender Timo Baumgartl added: "In the relegation battle we need every point available. Now we have to gather our strength for the next away game in Hamburg."
Borussia Dortmund were poor for the majority of their match at Hertha Berlin Saturday but missed several late chances to avert a 1-0 defeat.
"Our mission is to dramatically improve our situation for the second half of the season. We are also counting on the atmosphere at Signal Iduna Park," coach Juergen Klopp said ahead of the Wolfsburg game.
"If at some stage in the future we'll be able to get out of this slump, the bond between all those involved will be even stronger than it already is. The fans have done nothing wrong, which I can't really say about us."
But Dortmund are unlikely to find Wolfsburg simple opposition as Dieter Hecking's side try to bounce back from a disappointing home draw with Paderborn Sunday.
Wolfsburg are second but, nine points behind league leaders Bayern, they are probably more concerned with maintaining the six-point gap to the three clubs immediately below them.
Bayern host Freiburg Tuesday before finishing the first half of the campaign at Mainz Friday.
"We need to do well in the last two games - and then we finally get a good break," Arjen Robben said after scoring twice in Saturday's 4-0 triumph at Augsburg.
Augsburg look to bounce back from that loss away to Hanover Tuesday while Cologne host Mainz.
The other matches on Wednesday are Borussia Moenchengladbach v Werder Bremen, Hoffenheim v Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt v Hertha Berlin and Paderborn v Schalke.
And the champions in 2011 and 2012, Borussia Dortmund, will
hope to exit the bottom three when they face high-flying Wolfsburg on Wednesday.
"We must complete our work at home," Hamburg defender Dennis Diekmeier said. Following a goalless draw away to Freiburg on Saturday, Hamburg are 14th and only three points above bottom club Stuttgart.
But the northerners have won their last three home matches in succession and will be in confident mood in front of their own fans.
Midfielder Lewis Holtby spoke of the need to regenerate quickly with one hard game following on from another and fitness could well prove crucial.
Hamburg are already without central defender Heiko Westermann through injury and if Cleber fails to recover from a shoulder knock picked up at the weekend, Gojko Kacar could be recalled.
Stuttgart claimed a scarcely deserved draw at Mainz on Saturday and coach Huub Stevens will hope for a better result against Hamburg than the last time he took on one of his former sides.
Schalke dismantled his new charges 4-0 on December 6 but the Dutchman will be determined to avoid a repeat against Hamburg, a club he coached from early 2007 to summer 2008.
"We hope for more points before the year ends," Stevens said.
And defender Timo Baumgartl added: "In the relegation battle we need every point available. Now we have to gather our strength for the next away game in Hamburg."
Borussia Dortmund were poor for the majority of their match at Hertha Berlin Saturday but missed several late chances to avert a 1-0 defeat.
"Our mission is to dramatically improve our situation for the second half of the season. We are also counting on the atmosphere at Signal Iduna Park," coach Juergen Klopp said ahead of the Wolfsburg game.
"If at some stage in the future we'll be able to get out of this slump, the bond between all those involved will be even stronger than it already is. The fans have done nothing wrong, which I can't really say about us."
But Dortmund are unlikely to find Wolfsburg simple opposition as Dieter Hecking's side try to bounce back from a disappointing home draw with Paderborn Sunday.
Wolfsburg are second but, nine points behind league leaders Bayern, they are probably more concerned with maintaining the six-point gap to the three clubs immediately below them.
Bayern host Freiburg Tuesday before finishing the first half of the campaign at Mainz Friday.
"We need to do well in the last two games - and then we finally get a good break," Arjen Robben said after scoring twice in Saturday's 4-0 triumph at Augsburg.
Augsburg look to bounce back from that loss away to Hanover Tuesday while Cologne host Mainz.
The other matches on Wednesday are Borussia Moenchengladbach v Werder Bremen, Hoffenheim v Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt v Hertha Berlin and Paderborn v Schalke.
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