The Champions League was something of an afterthought for Stuttgart
as it plunged down the standings in the Bundesliga in the first
half of the season.
But the 2007 German champion has flourished under Christian
Gross, the Swiss coach who replaced the fired Markus Babbel.
Stuttgart has won six of eight games under Gross, with one draw and
one defeat and is also in the Champions League Round of 16, where
it faces title holder Barcelona on Tuesday.
"We are looking forward to playing one of the best teams in
the world," Gross said. "There is a lot of prestige at stake. I
hope the fans will go home with a good feeling."
"We've got nothing to lose," he added.
Stuttgart warmed up for the Champions League by winning 5-1
at Cologne in the Bundesliga. Cacau, in his first game since
recovering from a groin injury that had kept him sidelined for a
month, scored four goals. The Brazilian-born striker, who has
occasionally played for Germany, hopes to make the German World Cup
squad.
Gross has used Pavel Pogrebnyak and Ciprian Marica as his
starting forwards. Marica was suspended for the Cologne game and
now that Cacau is back and scoring, Gross may use him in the
staring lineup.
Sami Khedira, another occasional Germany player, has
recovered from a thigh injury and should take his place in the
midfield, likely forcing Zdravko Kuzamnovic to return to the bench.
Meanwhile, defender Arthur Boka is out with a dislocated
shoulder. Cristian Molinaro, the new arrival from Juventus, will
probably take Boka's place on the left.
Barcelona rebounded from its first league defeat of the
season with a routine 4-0 victory over Racing Santander on
Saturday, although coach Pep Guardiola was not completely content.
"We have to play better in Germany to guarantee a result,"
Guardiola said. "It's always important to get a win after a
defeat."
Midfielder Xavi Hernandez and defender Daniel Alves were both
included in the team for Tuesday's game even though they continue
to recover from leg-muscle injuries.
The Spanish champions are missing defender Eric Abidal and
midfielder Seydou Keita, while striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic faces a
late fitness test due to a right-ankle injury that forced him to
miss the match against Racing.
"His ankle was swollen up, but the doctors reckon it will go
down soon," Guardiola said. "We'll see how he gets on and see if we
can get him fit for Tuesday."
Bojan Krkic did an admirable job in place of Ibrahimovic on
Saturday, while Thierry Henry scored his first league goal since
Dec. 2.
After notching 25 goals in 40 games last season, the France
striker has only three goals from 18 appearances and was left out
of the team for the last three games.
"I hope his goal will give him a lift," Guardiola said. "The
team needs much more of him and I expect more from him."
Aleksandr Hleb, the Barcelona midfielder who is now on loan
to Stuttgart, was anything but happy to face his former teammates.
"Honestly, it's the only team I didn't want to play against.
It's the best team in the world," Hleb said. "I know it, I was
there. It may be good for the fans but bad for our goal to advance
to the next round."
