Rock-bottom VfB Stuttgart will need World Cup-winning defender Benjamin Pavard to be at his unwavering best when they travel to Nuremberg on Saturday (kick-off: 3.30pm CET/2.30pm GMT/10.30am ET).
Latest
Nuremberg are unbeaten in their last two following back-to-back draws with Eintracht Frankfurt and Augsburg. Defender Lukas Mühl was the hero at the WWK Arena, scoring two minutes from normal time to secure what could prove a vital point in Der Club's battle to avoid an immediate return to the second tier. The continued absence of striker Mikael Ishak isn't helping their cause, but Michael Köllner will take some solace from the fact that his side are one of the Bundesliga's tougher nuts to crack on home soil, picking up eight points from a possible 15 at the Max-Morlock-Stadion so far this term.
Stuttgart, by contrast, have claimed just one point from their first five away games of 2018/19. What is more, they've only collected four on their own patch - and not a single one of those has come in the three games since Markus Weinzierl replaced Tayfun Korkut as head coach. Pavard and Co. have conceded 11 goals without scoring in that time - most recently losing 3-0 to Frankfurt - and could be missing leading scorer Mario Gomez (three goals) this weekend because of injury. Mercurial playmaker Daniel Didavi - who spent the 2011/12 Bundesliga campaign on loan at Nuremberg - and forward Anastasios Donis have been all but ruled out.
Match stats
Only Borussia Mönchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Mainz and Hertha Berlin have picked up more points at home than Nuremberg in 2018/19.
Nuremberg have three more points (10) than at the same juncture in the 2013/14 campaign that ended in relegation to the second tier.
The last time the two sides met in this fixture was during the 2013/14 season, when Nuremberg ran out 2-0 winners.
Stuttgart goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler (40) has made the most saves in the Bundesliga this season, more than double both Fabian Bredlow and Christian Mathenia in the Nuremberg goal combined (28).
Hanno Behrens and Ishak are Nuremberg's top scorers this term with two apiece.
Only Gomez (3) has scored more than one goal for Stuttgart this season.
Probable line-ups
Nuremberg: Mathenia – Bauer, Margreitter, Mühl, Leibold – Misidjan, Fuchs, Petrak, Behrens (c), Kerk – Zrelak
Absentees: Ishak (knee), Lippert (knee), Löwen (knee), Valentini (thigh)
Coach: Michael Köllner
Stuttgart: Zieler – Baumgartl, Badstuber, Pavard – Maffeo, Gentner (c), Ascacibar, Aogo, Thommy – Gonzalez, Gomez
Absentees: Didavi (Achilles), Donis (thigh), Insua (suspended), Kliment, Meyer (both knee), Sosa (pelvis)
Coach: Markus Weinzierl