VfL Wolfsburg will be without starting goalkeeper Diego Benaglio against VfB Stuttgart on Sunday with the Swiss international nursing a back injury.
"Unfortunately my injury is preventing me from helping the team," he told the club website. Benaglio will also miss his country's Euro 2012 qualifier against Bulgaria.
Wolfsburg are in 17th place, two points below the relegation playoff spot.
VfB Stuttgart are wary of Wolfsburg, who signed coach Felix Magath following his departure from Schalke 04 on Wednesday.
"This is certainly not ideal for us," said Stuttgart coach Bruno Labbadia, whose team are just two points ahead of Wolfsburg and also battling to avoid the drop.
"Felix Magath knows Wolfsburg and will bring fire to the team. They will be very motivated," he said of the coach who steered Wolfsburg to the 2009 Bundesliga title.
Werder Bremen will be without injured central defender Sebastian Proedl in their own relegation fight after he tore a tendon in training on Thursday, the club said.
"This is a very rare injury," said the 23-year-old Austrian. "This is very hard since I wanted to be there to help the team stay up." It is not yet clear how long he will be out.
Werder, in 12th spot only three points above the relegation zone, travel to Nuremberg on Saturday.
