Stuttgart's 24-year-old goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand has not let in a goal for 735 minutes and is another 68 minutes from overtaking Bayern Munich keeper Oliver Kahn's unbeaten record of 802 minutes set in February.

However, Stuttgart have to break a trend of having won only one of their last seven home matches against Cologne, whose coach Friedhelm Funkel's job is on the line.

But Funkel was defiant.

"My team will go down fighting," he claimed.

Second-placed Werder Bremen and third-placed Bayer Leverkusen, both a point behind Stuttgart, are at home to Vfl Wolfsburg (6th) and Hansa Rostock (13th) respectively.

Champions Bayern Munich, whose play-maker Michael Ballack is doubtful after picking up an ankle injury in the 1-1 Champions League draw with Anderlecht, have never lost in 26 years at home to 14th-placed Hertha Berlin.

But Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld will be without the suspended Ze Roberto and the injured Mehmet Scholl, Jens Jeremies, Tobias Rau, Willy Sagnol and Alexander Zickler.

However, Berlin, yet to win this season, should not provide too stern a test for Bayern's understudies.

Borussia Dortmund, yet to win away this season, travel to newly-promoted Eintracht Frankfurt where they have not won since 1995.