Just four points from twelve matches - Hertha's season has been a nightmare for them. But every weekend brings along a new chance to get back on track and Berlin's player have realized they need to put in a solid effort until Christmas if they want to avoid relegation.

Good record against Stuttgart

Recent history provides Hertha with some hope that they'll bounce back on Saturday, as they've only lost two out of the last twelve matches against Stuttgart. The Swabians are also prone to lose their first match after an international break, as they have done on the two prior occasions this season.

Some of Berlin's players collected a fair bit of self confidence during the break. Gojko Kacar (Serbia) and Fabian Lustenberger (Switzerland) won while on duty for their country, while the players who stayed at home were able to beat Türkiyemspor Berlin in a friendly match.

New signings possible

While the team needs to work on collecting some points before the winter break, the management is looking for new signings that will be able to help for the second half of the season: "We've got an eye on a few players. Unfortunately we can't spend as much money as it was the case in previous years", Funkel says.

The coach emphasizes that the squad is already good enough to get a result in Stuttgart though, and the topic of new signings is not one that currently has priority. With kick-off against Markus Babbel's side getting closer, Hertha are keen to close the six point gap to the safe zone.

No need to panic yet

Curiously it is Stuttgart who currently occupy the first spot in the safe zone, as they also have underperformed in the first twelve matches. "We can still make it," Funkel says after reminding his team that VfL Bochum once avoided relegation after winning just once before Christmas. With five matches to go before the Bundesliga takes a short winter break, Hertha have every opportunity to increase their chances of staying up - starting with the Stuttgart match on Saturday.