Martin Demichelis fears Bayern Munich are running out of time to salvage their season, even though he knew it was going to be a tough year.

The defender fears things can only get worse for the record German champions, who currently lie eighth in the table, if they do not beat league leaders Bayer Leverkusen next weekend and ascend the table quickly.

Bayern's fate in the Champions League could be sealed three days later when they face Maccabi Haifa needing a win while hoping at the same time that Juventus fail to beat Bordeaux.

Demichelis admits two more bad results could have a snowball effect.

"I hope it is not too late to turn our season around," he told the Bild newspaper.

"Otherwise it is going to get chaotic and even worse."

Coach Louis van Gaal is under pressure as his side continues to disappoint, but he has always maintained that it would take several months before he had his team playing the way he intended it.

And Demichelis knows that that time has now come and that he and his team mates "must take care that we win games to calm things down and lift ourselves up as quickly as possible".

Victory over Leverkusen at the weekend would take them to within three points of the league summit and, should results elsewhere go their way, they could even leap seven places into second in the table to put a completely different perspective on things.