Champions Stuttgart feel the heat and must deliver

The southern Germans lost 2-1 at lowly Hansa Rostock last weekend and on Tuesday were also beaten 2-0 at home in the Champions League by Barcelona.

 Stuttgart have lost both matches so far in the European elite event and rank a mere 10th in the Bundesliga, trailing leaders Bayern Munich by 10 points after eight games.

 "Things are pretty complicated for us right now. We don't make use of our chances up front and concede unnecessary goals," said captain Fernando Meira.

 Stuttgart's Germany striker Mario Gomez agreed with Meira that the Stuttgart defence is particularly weak in dead-ball situations. Coach Armin Veh, meanwhile, said he has no plans to make sweeping changes to the lineup.

 Victory against Hanover is a must to restore confidence and to move up in the standings. Stuttgart are unbeaten at home in the Bundesliga with three wins and a draw, while they have lost all four away matches.

 The visitors rank ahead of Stuttgart in seventh place with 13 points after two straight wins, but have not won there since 1971.

 "It is not important whether we play attractive football or not. We need to fight more, to run more than the opponent - and to win," said Meira.

 While Werder Bremen also crashed at home, 3-1 to Olympiakos Piraeus, Schalke got the first win in six matches for the German Champions League trio, 2-0 at Rosenborg Trondheim on Wednesday.

 Schalke have also won their last three league games to rank second, four points behind Munich. Now they host promoted surprise package Karlsruhe, who are third with 15 points, and have nothing to lose.

 "We are not getting carried away. But we will also not hide. We are highly motivated and want to confirm our good showings in this top match," said Karlsruhe midfielder Tamas Hajnal.

 Munich, for their part, host second from bottom Nuremberg in a Bavarian derby on Sunday, with captain Oliver Kahn sidelined after an arm operation and their league top scorer Miroslav Klose (eight goals) doubtful because of knee problems.

 Bayern's performance could depend on the outcome of a UEFA Cup match at Portugal's Belenenses late Thursday, into which the tournament favourites take a slim 1-0 first-leg lead.

 The action starts on Friday night when 15th-ranked Borussia Dortmund look to shake off three straight defeats in a home game with regional rivals VfL Bochum.

 The other games are Hertha Berlin vs. winless bottom club Energie Cottbus, Arminia Bielefeld vs. SV Hamburg, VfL Wolfsburg vs. Hansa Rostock, MSV Duisburg vs. Bremen (Saturday) and Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Sunday).

DPA