Stuttgart coach Markus Babbel read the riot act to his team in a bid to emphasise the importance of the game at home to Bochum.

Babbel was this week told his job was safe until the winter break at least even though Sunday's 4-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen left the Swabians second from the bottom of the table.

Failure to beat fellow strugglers Bochum tomorrow, though, would heap further pressure on the former defender, who this week did not go to the coach's training course he is due to attend from Monday to Wednesday, instead focusing on the task in hand.

Babbel has certainly not been afraid to be ruthless, taking the captaincy away from Thomas Hitzlsperger and telling veteran goalkeeper Jens Lehmann he will not be permitted his contracted days off until Christmas.

"I wanted to take this weight off him," Babbel said of his decision to give the armband to Mathieu Delpierre.

"This is the most difficult situation I have experienced in my career as a player and a coach.

"Everybody has got to sacrifice themselves and put their free time and family to one side.

"There is no more room for comfort. We cannot go on with normality."

Babbel is deciding day by day when and for how long training will take place to keep his team on their toes ahead of tomorrow's pivotal game against a side who lie just one point and one position above Stuttgart.

Bochum have already changed coach once this season and Heiko Herrlich is not under as much pressure as his counterpart to pick up the points tomorrow.

Yet he admits his side could probably not have met the 2007 champions at a worse time.

"I expect every single player from our opponents to want to show that they are not to blame for all the misery," he said.

He has welcomed Daniel Imhof and Diego Klimowicz back into training this week, meaning he has more options to choose from.

Babbel is set to ring the changes after the 4-0 defeat to Leverkusen with Zdravko Kuzmanovic certain to return after suspension, while Arthur Boka could also return at full-back.