Borussia Dortmund head coach Thomas Tuchel concedes losing to bitter rival Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga is a "frightening" prospect.
Dortmund is fifth in the table - six points shy of the defending champion, which visits Signal Iduna Park on Saturday for Der Klassiker.
Dazzling in attack at their best, Tuchel's team has suffered from defensive frailties and inconsistency this term, winning only half of its 10 Bundesliga matches.
"Nine points behind sounds frightening," he said. "We would love to free ourselves of that [pressure], but it isn't possible.
"We need lots of bravery tomorrow - that will be the key to the game.