Stuttgart have moved six points clear of the Bundesliga relegation zone courtesy of their 0-0 draw with in-form Hannover at the HDI-Arena tonight.
Huub Stevens's 15th-placed side are now unbeaten in four games, while Hannover, who are immediately above them in the table, have picked up seven points from a possible nine to move into safe ground themselves.
Daniel Didavi was a bright spark for Stuttgart in the early stages, shooting wide on six minutes before cutting in off the left flank again, only for Hannover stopper Ron-Robert Zieler to be equal to his low shot.
At the other end, Christian Pander's cross to the far post was met by Leon Andreasen, but Sven Ulreich kept out the 43rd-minute effort, Hannover's only notable chance of the half, at his near post.
After Szabolcs Huszti shot wide for the hosts shortly after the restart, Stuttgart threatened twice in quick succession through Martin Harnik and Cacau, who forced another decent save out of Zieler.
The experienced striker, who has been with the club for a decade, would shortly miss the best chance of the match when, on 53 minutes, he sliced a Didavi cross over the crossbar from inside the six-yard box.
Hannover pressed for a winner in the final quarter of an hour, but Valmir Sulejmani's bending shot did not have enough dip on it, while Ulreich saved well from Lars Stindl's volley late on.
Joe Fish
