Hamburg - Bayern Munich's aim of playing a major role in the Champions League could end prematurely if they don't beat Girondins Bordeaux on Tuesday. And if worse comes to worst, VfL Wolfsburg and VfB Stuttgart will also crash out in the group stage, leaving Germany without a club in the knockout rounds.
The three teams have managed only two wins out of nine matches they have played so far (Munich and Wolfsburg in the opening round) and lie third in their respective groups.
Adding Europa League games (where Hamburg and Bremen are well-positioned to advance while Hertha Berlin are all but out), the Bundesliga ranks a dismal 11th so far in Europe, tied with Austria and Moldova, according to Kicker sports magazine.
Munich have salvaged German pride more often than not in the past, but have also come nowhere near the final of the elite event since lifting the trophy for a fourth time in 2001.
A 2-1 defeat a fortnight ago in Bordeaux marked the current low point, with Daniel van Buyten and Thomas Mueller sent off and only goalkeeper Hans-Joerg Butt sparing them from a bigger defeat by saving two penalties.
Wolfsburg were held 0-0 at home by Besiktas Istanbul while Stuttgart crashed 3-1 at home against Sevilla.
Now they meet the same opponents again and Kicker on Monday expressed its hope that the clubs have learnt "the lessons from the emptiness" of two weeks ago.
Bayern rank sixth in the league and are yet to shine under new coach Louis van Gaal, the main problem being a lack of efficiency in front of goal, the latest on Saturday in a 0-0 draw in Stuttgart.
"We are under pressure, we need six points in the home games against Bordeaux and Maccabi Haifa," said Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, whose club also faces a trip to Juventus Turin.
Injured Frenchman Franck Ribery is badly missed and, as captain Mark van Bommel admitted, the game in Bordeaux was "not worthy of a top team."
Stuttgart, meanwhile, are going through a nightmare season, just one point clear of the drop zone in 14th place in the Bundesliga and third with two draws and a defeat in the Champions League.
The trip to Seville is close to "Mission Impossible" now that central defenders Christian Traesch and Ricardo Osorio have joined a long injury list.
For the surprise Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg, the Champions League is a learning experience.
They beat CSKA Moscow in the opener and performed credibly in a 2-1 loss at Old Trafford against Manchester United, but the home stalemate against Besiktas was a setback.
Striker Grafite is suspended in Turkey, but despite a 3-3 home draw against Mainz on the weekend in the league coach Armin Veh is upbeat that his team "is capable of earning points on the road."
