Berger relishes Hansa challenge

By Manfred Christoph

Jörg Berger's task of taking FC Hansa Rostock off the bottom of the Bundesliga begins tomorrow with a match away to tenth-placed Hertha BSC Berlin.

'Precarious situation'
The 60-year-old's instalment as Hansa coach earlier this week ended a five-year exile from the Bundesliga but the one-time Eintracht Frankfurt coach is not daunted by the battle ahead. Berger - who has worked subsequently in Turkey and the 2. Bundesliga - observed: "The situation is precarious, but I have the advantage of having lived through such situations quite a lot in the past."

Degree of confidence
Hansa are six points behind the fourth-bottom side, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, yet their two wins this season have come on their travels, so they can go to Berlin with a degree of confidence, although Hertha themselves should be buoyed after beating FC Schalke 04 last week.

Bayern can go top
With leaders VfL Wolfsburg playing Hamburger SV on Sunday, second-placed FC Bayern München will take over at the top if they win or draw at home against struggling Kaiserslautern. Two Bayern old boys will be facing their former team-mates.

Old boys return
Swiss midfielder Ciriaco Sforza will make his comeback for the Red Devils after an 18-month absence during which he has undergone two achilles operations, while striker Carsten Jancker will not be lacking motivation on his first return to the Olympiastadion, where he played from 1996-2002, scoring 48 goals.

Difficult test
Third-placed Schalke have a difficult-looking trip to Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Ralf Rangnick's men will be looking to bounce back from the first loss of his reign last week but Leverkusen have dropped only one point in six matches at the BayArena.

Stuttgart duo back
VfB Stuttgart, in fourth place, should have defenders Fernando Meira and Boris Živkovic available again after injury for the game against VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach, while sixth meets seventh when champions Werder Bremen visit DSC Arminia Bielefeld.

Dortmund desperate
Elsewhere, BV Borussia Dortmund are desperate for a restorative victory against another lowly side, SC Freiburg, while 1. FSV Mainz 05 welcome VfL Bochum 1848, and on Sunday, 1. FC Nürnberg play Hannover 96.