"Anything is possible" - Pascal Groß is confident going into "five finals" | OneFootball

The win against the Spanish star ensemble, which also amazed international media, was still the end of the line for BVB due to their 0-4 defeat in the first game against Barcelona. However, for Pascal Groß it fuelled hopes for more magical nights of European football. "I've never experienced an atmosphere like that in the stadium before. That performance against a team like that should definitely give us courage and self-confidence for the last few weeks of the Bundesliga," said the midfielder. "In this stadium, with the fans, you can beat any team in the world." He doesn't want to miss out on having similarly exhilirating experiences next season: "That would hurt a lot. That's why we need to do everything in our power in the final five games to get as many points as we possibly can."

BVB are currently eighth in the table - six points away from a Champions League spot. As things currently stand, Borussia would have to make up either four or three points to qualify for the UEFA Europa League or the Conference League. Given this position going into the game, Groß believes that his team have a duty to perform on Sunday (17:30 CEST) against Mönchengladbach, who are seventh in the table: "If we still want to achieve something this year, we simply have to win this game against a direct rival." Despite the team's eleven defeats in the Bundesliga, Groß still hasn't ruled out a return to the European championship: "This season is crazy. Really, we've almost lost too many games already to be able to reach that goal. But when you look at the table, you can see that anything is possible. The next five games are all finals for us."

The recent upward trajectory with strong performances against Mainz (3-1), Freiburg (4-1), Munich (2-2) and Barcelona has given the 33-year-old confidence: "I feel like we're more solid now." Like defender Niklas Süle following the win against Barcelona, Groß also emphasised team spirit: "If one person makes a mistake, someone else smooths it out for him. That helps you to trust in what you're doing. This cohesion and energy are extremely important."

This attitude is also what should help BVB to succeed against their direct rivals in the table from the Lower Rhine, in front of 81,365 spectators in a sold-out SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. "If we can bring the intensity and mentality that we had on Tuesday onto the pitch, we can win the game. We need to go into it with that mindset. We need to secure this win," said Groß.

The national player would like to do his bit for BVB's European aspirations by scoring a goal. With twelve assists across all competitions, he is the best player on the team at setting up goals, but is still waiting to score in the League. He wants that to change: "In the past few weeks I've had a few chances - I've hit the post twice and the crossbar once. It's time that I score my first goal in the Bundesliga too."