Stuttgart hoping to build on European success

Stuttgart’s new coach Christian Gross will be hoping his team can build on their European success on Sunday.

Having reached the Champions League’s last 16, the club are 16th in the Bundesliga table and in the dreaded relegation zone.

Gross took over from Markus Babbel as coach last Sunday and enjoyed immediate success when his side beat Romanian champions Unirea Urziceni 3-1 on Wednesday.

With just two wins to their credit from 15 games, Stuttgart need to beat Mainz, who are ninth, to get out of the bottom three and boost some low morale.

Ex-Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann landed himself in hot water in the wake of Babbel’s dismissal by claiming his Stuttgart bosses bowed to pressure from angry fans.

Team manager Horst Heldt has said there will be consequences for Lehmann.

Having been dumped out of the Champions League on Tuesday after Manchester United beat them 3-1 at home, defending German champions Wolfsburg have the chance to get their league campaign back on track at home to Dortmund on Sunday.

Sunday

Mainz 05 v VfB Stuttgart

VfL Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund