By Rich M

Christian Groß is a 34-year-old defensive midfielder or center back for SV Werder Bremen. Groß was born on February 8, 1989 in Bremen, West Germany, and spent his youth career playing for SC Sternbusch, BV Cloppenburg, VfL Osnabrück, and Hamburger SV. His senior career continued at Hamburg beginning in 2008, where he made 67 appearances between 2008 and 2011, and scored 7 goals. He then played for SV Babelsberg 03 from 2011 to 2013, Sportfreunde Lotte from 2013 to 2014, and VfL Osnabrück from 2014 to 2018. He joined his current club in 2018, where he has since made more than 100 appearances and scored 10 goals.

By Rich M

Matchday 31 got underway on Friday with road victories for 1. FC Köln and FC Schalke. Köln’s Rheinderby win over hosts Bayer 04 Leverkusen came thanks to goals from Davie Selke in the 14th and again in the 36th minute, while Leverkusen’s lone goal came in the 28th minute. Selke’s first goal was the 2000th goal that Leverkusen have conceded in the Bundesliga, and the brace was Selke’s first in 5 years: his last one came for Hertha Berlin against Köln on April 14, 2018. The win puts Köln 2 points ahead of nearby rival Gladbach in the table going into the remaining matches this weekend. The bigger upset on Friday was Schalke’s win over hosts 1. FSV Mainz 05, which netted 3 valuable points for Schalke in their battle against relegation. Among the match’s goals were a brace for Schalke’s Marius Bülter, who found the net in the 26th and 102nd minutes. Also finding the net were Schalke’s Tom Krauß in the 60th minute, Mainz’ Leandro Barreiro, who scored in the 53rd minute, and Mainz’s Aarón Martin, who scored in the 70th minute. You will not want to miss Saturday’s match between hosts Sport-Club Freiburg and visitors RB Leipzig, a crucial league contest between 2 clubs near the top of the table, and who are separated by just 2 points. The game is a re-match of sorts, as it was Freiburg who were eliminated by Leipzig in the DFB Pokal semi-final on Tuesday. The outcome of Saturday’s game is not only relevant to the top 4 places in the table, but also for next season’s UEFA Champions League. While Freiburg have lost 5 of their 6 meetings this season against the league’s top 5 clubs, Leipzig have lost 3 of 6 Bundesliga games in Freiburg. The relegation battle at the opposite end of the table also continues on Saturday, when Hertha Berlin host Stuttgart, in what is a must-win contest for both sides. While Hertha have managed to pick up wins against Gladbach and Augsburg, and a draw with Freiburg, they are coming off a 5:2 loss at Schalke, which extended their winless streak to 5, and the club is desperate to avoid what would be their first relegation since 2012. Stuttgart barely avoided a relegation playoff at the end of last season, and may still benefit from several matches against other clubs that are also in danger. The matchday will conclude with just one Sunday contest, when Dortmund host Wolfsburg. Dortmund are already assured of finishing no worse than 5th place, while Wolfsburg are still looking to secure their spot in European competition. Wolfsburg are coming off a 3:0 victory at home against Mainz, but are still trailing Leverkusen by just 2 points, with the final UEFA Europa League spot still up for grabs.