Although not a first-team regular under manager Niko Kovač, Russ scored the first goal since his cancer diagnosis on 10 February 2018 in a 4–2 home win over 1. FC Köln. He played all six matches of their 2017–18 DFB-Pokal conquest, with every minute of their first five games, and sixteen in place of Jonathan de Guzmán at the end of the 3–1 final win over Bayern on 19 May.