Nuremberg vs Fortuna Dusseldorf Preview

Hecking was absent from training for three days, but he will be on the sidelines at the Frankenstadion on Saturday and has his sights set on a home win to put some distance between his side and the bottom three.

"I am probably not the right person to ask about the team this week since I haven't seen them very much, but I have faith in my assistants who tell me that they have been training very well," he said.

"The team should be able to survive even if their boss is away for three days.

"Of course it's an important game and a win can give us some breathing space before Christmas.

"It's certainly not going to be easy, but we are capable of beating Dusseldorf and we want to do that."

Opponents Dusseldorf are currently two points above the Bavarians and back into the kind of form which worries Hecking.

"They have got some good results lately," he said. "They started the season well and had a bit of a dip, but now they are back to their best.

"Certainly they are able to achieve their goal for the season, which is to stay in the Bundesliga."

That is precisely what the league's newcomers are aiming for, and they are already looking to the future by signing Japanese attacking midfielder Genki Omae.

The 22-year-old is not available on Saturday as the deal can only go through in the new year, but the move is a sign of the club's ambition to stay in the top flight for at least another season.

"We have signed a quick and dangerous attack-minded player in Genki Omae," Fortuna's director of sport Wolf Werner said.

"He has already proven his ability at the highest level of Japanese football.

"We are pleased that we have been able to contract him to us and that he will be able to help us in the second half of the season."