Basel and St. Gallen open the season – even Xamax in action

The ball rolls again Saturday – Basel trusts the door Jonas Omlin, who came from Lucerne (Photo: KEYSTONE / ANTHONY ANEX)

(sda)

still unclear on the opening weekend of the Super League. Will a Swiss club enter the group stage of the Champions League? Can Master YB keep his team until August 31st? Does FC Zurich have the tools to impose itself as a third force in the league? Who holds the worst cards in the relegation battle or who is a candidate for the reintroduced dam?

Of course, the first round of the weekend will not answer questions. But she gives the first trends. Above all, FC Basel can not afford a false start like a year ago though it does not want to be in the wind from the start and quickly forget the untitled last season. If it fails, it will cause uncomfortable weeks.

Raphael Wicky had good reason to call the opening match against St. Gallen "the most important match" during the week. On the one hand, President Bernhard Burgener claims a better home record than last season, in which three league games were lost and six were not won. On the other hand, the capital qualifying games against PAOK Thessaloniki are ahead, which will determine the European destiny of the FCB this revolutionary season. If the dethroned Swiss champions fail in the first of three obstacles to the Champions League, even participation in the Europa League is in danger; the FCB should then qualify there.

The last sloppy test is played against Aarau (1: 4) and Feyenoord Rotterdam (0: 5), which is already causing more tension in the fan circles. Wicky is not bothered by that. "I have a very good feeling, we are ready for the English weeks," he said on the eve of the start of the season against the unpredictable St. Gallen, under the neo-coach Peter Zeidler with Silvan Hefti as new captain and a much wider team

Lucerne

Coinciding with Basel, Super League returnee Neuchatel Xamax starts his work in Lucerne. Coach Michel Decastel sits on the team with by far the highest average age in the league (27.1 years). In Lucerne, second best second mid-season last season, Rene Weiler made his debut on the sideline.

Raphael Nuzzolo, undisputed top scorer in the Challenge League, considers Lucerne his first opponent: "Lucerne is under pressure and losing nothing," said the 35-year-old veteran.