Borussia Dortmund captain Mats Hummels has called for more stability in defence after returning to the pitch for the first time since the World Cup final in his side's 2-2 draw with Stuttgart on Wednesday.
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Jurgen Klopp's side have conceded nine goals in five Bundesliga games and were lucky to escape with a point from their meeting with stuttering Stuttgart.
Following two major mistakes in defence and two goals by Daniel Divadi, BVB scored twice in the last 20 minutes to avoid a second home defeat in only their third Bundesliga match of the season at the Westfalenstadion.
The overhauled back four -- this time featuring Marcel Schmelzer at left-back instead of Erik Durm and Neven Subotic for Matthias Ginter at centre-back -- could once again be changed for the derby at Schalke on Saturday.
Two months on from a World Cup final victory with Germany in Rio de Janeiro, Hummels appeared in the 74th minute for BVB -- and while the defender will need time to return to top form and fitness, he insists the club must address their problems before facing Schalke.
"We need more stability in defence. We have already conceded nine goals in five matches which is not just a poor record, it is a very poor record," Hummels told the club's official website. "We need to defend better as a team, and all eleven players have to play their part. If you concede two goals in each game, as has already happened four times this season, it's very hard to win."
The captain is set to return to the starting XI on Saturday, which would also give BVB more structure in their build-up play. On Wednesday, Serbia international Subotic -- who is anything but a playmaker -- was forced into that role by Stuttgart, and in the end had the most touches of the ball on the pitch.
"[Hummels] has trained without problems in the past days," Jurgen Klopp told kicker on Thursday.
Ahead of Saturday's Revierderby, both sides are under pressure to at least avoid defeat. In five leagues games Dortmund have picked up only seven points, while Schalke have collected just five.
But the Royal Blues are set to go into their home game lifted by a 3-0 victory at Werder Bremen, and will also have midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng available for selection following his suspension on Tuesday.
"It's the biggest derby in Germany. I don't need to motivate the team," Schalke coach Jens Keller told kicker.
Just like their rivals Dortmund, the Royal Blues have a long list of injured players, and will also be without the suspended Julian Draxler.
"It's the derby after all -- there's not a lot to add. It's important for both teams to win it," Schalke's sporting executive Horst Heldt added.
The main question for Schalke going into the derby is where to play Boateng, who has so far failed to impress this season, save for a good performance in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea in Champions League.
Keller sidestepped the issue on Tuesday, telling reporters: "Saturday is still a few days away. Let's talk about this again at the end of the week."