By Rich M.

Max Finkgräfe is a 19-year-old left-back for 1. FC Köln. Finkgräfe was born on March 27, 2004 in Mönchengladbach, Germany, and spent his youth career playing for Fortuna Düsseldorf from 2015 to 2016, Borussia Dortmund from 2016 to 2018, Borussia Mönchengladbach from 2018 to 2020, SG Unterrath from 2020 to 2021, and 1. FC Köln from 2021 to 2023. He signed his professional contract with Köln on April 23, 2023, and went on to help Köln’s U19s win the DFB-Pokal Junioren for the 2022-23 season. He made his senior debut for the club on August 19, 2023, coming on as a substitute in a 1:0 loss to Borussia Dortmund.

By Rich M.
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Köln picked up a valuable 3 points on Friday and escaped the relegation zone, at least temporarily, with a 1:0 away win over hosts SV Darmstadt 98. The match’s lone goal came in the 60th minute, when Davie Selkie slid the ball into Darmstadt’s net. The goal is Selkie’s 4th this term, and the victory is Köln’s second. Köln and Darmstadt are now tied on points in the table, with 9 each, although Darmstadt remains in the relegation play-off spot on goal differential. The club at the bottom of the table, 1. FC Union Berlin, will have their work cut out for them when they travel to the other end of the country on Saturday to take on FC Bayern München. The visitors picked up a point on Wednesday in European competition with a 1:1 draw against Braga, in the club’s first match under new head coach Nenad Bjelica. Union are still without a win in 16 matches in all competitions, and will play on Saturday without the services of Sheraldo Becker and Danilho Doekhi, who are both injured. Bayern are coming off a blank against Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League earlier in the week, but Harry Kane is all but certain to contribute to the club’s run of scoring in 63 consecutive league matches. Kane has already picked up 18 goals since joining Bayern, and has been averaging 1 goal every 59 minutes. If Bayern picks up a goal on Saturday, they will equal the record they set between 1970 and 1974. Saturday’s late game between hosts VfB Stuttgart and visitors SV Werder Bremen will be an important one for the hosts, if they wish to remain on the heels of league leaders Leverkusen and Bayern. Bremen won the last encounter between the two clubs by a 2:0 score, but Stuttgart have won 9 of 12 league games this season, while Bremen have collected just 1 win in their last 7 matches. Perhaps the biggest match of all, though, this weekend is Sunday’s fixture between hosts Bayer 04 Leverkusen and visitors Borussia Dortmund. Leverkusen have been holding on to a slim 2-point lead over Bayern, thanks in part to wins in their first 6 home games of the campaign. A 7th home win on Sunday would be a new club record, as would 9 successive top-flight wins home and away. Dortmund did, however, win both fixtures last season, and have won 7 of the previous 10 encounters. Leverkusen’s Alex Grimaldo will look to extend his streak of 4 goals in his past 3 matches, and his signing with the club back in May on a free transfer was certainly one of the biggest coups Leverkusen has landed in recent years. Grimaldo’s first goal for Leverkusen came in September, and contributed to a 2:2 draw with Bayern.