Bayern Munich eased the pressure on coach Louis van Gaal with victory over Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League but the spotlight will remain on the Dutchman for this weekend's Bundesliga clash with Hannover.
The 1-0 success over the Israeli outfit, combined with Bordeaux's 2-0 defeat of Juventus, has reignited Bayern's hopes of advancing to the knockout phase.
For that to happen, Bayern must still beat Juve in Turin in a fortnight's time, but for now, the focus returns to the league, where Van Gaal's troops lie sixth, six points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
And there is no further margin for error, according to the club's director of sport Christian Nerlinger.
"You have simply got to win the four remaining games before the winter break," he told Van Gaal in Sport Bild magazine. "The curve has now got to turn sharply upwards."
But if anybody can lead Bayern out of danger, it is Van Gaal, according to the club's president Franz Beckenbauer.
"Louis Van Gaal is an old hand and he has already been through many a battle," he told Sat 1 television.
"I hope that he also wins this battle. Our remaining games are all winnable and it doesn't look that bad at all really."
Nevertheless, Beckenbauer knows the situation could quickly degenerate again if his side return from Hannover empty handed.
"If we lose in Hannover at the weekend, then it gets messy all over again," he said.
Bayern could find themselves nine points adrift of top spot by the time they take to the field at the Niedersachsen Stadion should Bayer Leverkusen beat Stuttgart. Their game is due to end just 15 minutes before Bayern get under way.
Meanwhile, should Werder Bremen extend their unbeaten streak to 19 matches in all competitions on Saturday, they too could open up an eight-point advantage over Bayern.
They host defending champions Wolfsburg at the Weser Stadion while Schalke could also establish a seven-point cushion over Bayern if they can win at Borussia Monchengladbach.
Elsewhere, Hoffenheim can break clear of both Mainz and Hamburg, the two teams immediately below them who clash at the Bruchweg Stadion, with a win over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
The weekend commences with a true relegation battle between Bochum and Cologne at the Ruhr Stadion on Friday night with the future of Cologne coach Zvonimir Soldo probably depending on the outcome.
Bottom-placed Hertha Berlin are still searching for their first win since the opening day of the season and their coach Friedhelm Funkel welcomes his former club Eintracht Frankfurt to the capital.
Finally, league newcomers Nurnberg and Freiburg meet in a game which will be crucial to their hopes of avoiding relegation this season.
