Korkut facing Stindl dilemma

Hannover coach Tayfun Korkut has a dilemma with his captain Lars Stindl as he prepares his side for a pivotal clash with Augsburg this Tuesday.

Since Stindl returned to start the last four games after injury, the Reds have lost three and drawn one.

While the 26-year-old has scored three times in those games, the statistics show that Hannover have been far more successful this season without him and were on course for a place in the Champions League next season before he returned.

"It's true, we've only picked up one point in four games with him so if I were any other club interested in signing him, I'd keep my fingers off," said Hannover's director of sport Dirk Dufner to the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung.

There is plenty of interest in the midfielder, however, and Dufner's remarks were a little tongue in cheek.

"We know it's not going to be easy to keep hold of him, but we will try all we can," he added.

Leaving Stindl out is therefore not a serious consideration for Korkut, who will be hoping his side can turn the corner this Tuesday and get back in the hunt for a top-six finish against a side who currently have a four-point head-start on them.

Augsburg may have slipped from third to fifth on Sunday, but they are still likely to be among the candidates for places in Europe come the end of the season according to Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, whose side beat them 4-0 on Saturday.

"Keep your heads up because you're playing a great season," he posted on Twitter on Saturday.