After two demoralizing losses in front of its own fans, Bayern Munich must win at Hannover on Saturday to regain some momentum and ease the pressure on beleaguered coach Louis van Gaal.
A third loss in a row for the defending Bundesliga champion could spell the end for van Gaal, whose only realistic hope of a trophy this season is the Champions League.
Bayern was knocked out of the German Cup by Schalke on Wednesday, after a home loss to league leader Borussia Dortmund last weekend all but killed off any hope of defending the Bundesliga title.
"It's a very important game," Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said. "It's important to show a reaction, to collect the points to return to the places to qualify for the Champions League next year."
With 10 games remaining, Hannover is two points ahead of fourth-place Bayern in the standings.
"It's hard to save the season," Munich captain Philipp Lahm said. "If Bayern isn't the German champion and won't be the cup winner, it isn't a good season."
Hannover - which has spent ?22.3 million ($30.8 million) on reinforcements since 2005, compared to Bayern's ?204.7 million ($282.6 million) - is enjoying its best-ever season, with 14 wins from 24 games bettered only by Dortmund's 18 victories.
Much of its success has been built on the outstanding form of Didier Ya Konan, who has 11 goals. Hannover has not lost a game this season when he has scored.
The Ivory Coast striker will be missing against Bayern, however, due to the knee problem which kept him out against St. Pauli last weekend. Although Hannover won that game 1-0, the previous 11 Bundesliga games without him since he joined in 2009 ended in defeat.
Bastian Schweinsteiger will be missing for Bayern after picking up a fifth yellow card in the 3-1 home defeat to Dortmund, but influential wingers Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben should play.
"It won't be enough to stop just Robben and Ribery," Hannover coach Mirko Slomka said. "I'm not going to count on having two or three players marking them."
Bayern still has hopes of winning the Champions League, where it leads Inter Milan 1-0 and is well placed to advance to the quarterfinals - and avenge last season's final defeat to the Italian club.
"The return game against Inter Milan on March 15 will be a very tough match," Rummenigge said. "But that is still too far away for me. It is important that we try to win in Hannover on Saturday. Then comes Hamburg and then we can focus on Inter Milan."
Defeat to Hannover could prove costly for van Gaal. According to Kicker magazine on Thursday, his future is to be considered by club bosses after the Milan game at the latest.
"The club must decide that, not me," van Gaal said. "I do my work and I think I do it well."
Rummenigge said he was "not going to get into this discussion," when asked about van Gaal's future.
"Our goal is not to make any trouble and just stay calm," he said.
Bayer Leverkusen is four points ahead of Munich in second place, which means an automatic Champions League spot. It hosts Wolfsburg, two points above the relegation zone, in Saturday's late game.
Leverkusen midfielder Michael Ballack may get a rare start due to the suspension of Arturo Vidal.
Also on Saturday, it's Stuttgart vs. Schalke, Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Kaiserslautern, Borussia Moenchengladbach vs. Hoffenheim, and Nuremberg vs. St. Pauli.
On Sunday, Freiburg hosts Werder Bremen and Hamburg hosts Mainz.
Dortmund gets the 25th round of games under way at home to Cologne on Friday.
