STUTTGART - Stuttgart will be hoping to turn around their dismal season when they host Lyon in the Champions League on Tuesday.
A 4-1 defeat at Hamburg on Saturday leaves the defending German champions just one point above the relegation zone and a full 16 points from the summit of the Bundesliga.
Hopes of defending their title are fading fast, while the lights on their European campaign also risk going out at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium on Tuesday.
They face French champions Lyon in what is a do-or-die battle for both teams, who have each lost their opening two fixtures in the competition.
Stuttgart coach Armin Veh is hoping to exploit the change of competition to forget about his team's Bundesliga problems and bounce back in Europe.
"We were in a difficult situation before this game and the results over the last few weeks have shaken the team," he said.
"Hanging our heads now does not help at all, we have to concentrate fully on our next task.
"In this situation, the only thing which can help us is results and we will do all we can to obtain them in the coming games."
For striker Mario Gomez, defeat in Hamburg was a big low in a week when he received the accolade of Germany's player of the season for last year.
After picking up the award in Munich on Wednesday, he was on the losing side as the national team went down 3-0 to the Czech Republic, but Saturday's defeat was even harder to take.
"Today was the worst day of my career," admitted the club's top goalscorer from last season after the game.
"The situation is not easy for us, but now we need to put all of these results and experiences behind us and free our minds for the coming games."
The games are coming thick and fast for the Swabians, who have six matches in the next 18 days.
Veh will be aware that it is make or break time for his side's season.
Lyon's Fabio Grosso is looking forward to returning to German soil just over a year after his career hit the heights there.
Grosso was little known outside Italy when he went to the 2006 World Cup, but lived the dream with the Azzurri as he scored a brilliant game-breaking goal against hosts Germany in the semi-final and then smashed home the winning penalty in the final against France.
Grosso told club website, www.olweb.fr: "It's a very important win for both me and the team.
"We have started from behind in the Champions League but we are trying to catch up and hope to start on Tuesday."
Lyon coach Alain Perrin must do without injured Brazilian striker Fred at the Gottlieb-Daimler.
