In Switzerland’s Super League, the summer break will come to an end this weekend. To kick off on Saturday, the 21.07., At 18:00 clock next to FC Basel and FC St. Gallen also Lucerne and Neuchâtel Xamax on each other. With the latter game we are engaged in this article.
While the ambitious newcomer from Neuchâtel should first of all set himself to establish himself in the Swiss House of Lords, Lucerne certainly wants to build on the successful last season, which at least led to the Europa League. Bookmakers favor the host, but not as clearly as might have been expected. One reason we can identify in the preparation, in which Lucerne was hardly convincing. Neuchâtel Xamax, on the other hand, lived up to expectations and was able to surprise some of us, which then allows us to refrain from three-way bets on the favored team from Lucerne. However, as both teams put the ball into the net on a regular basis and rarely conceded a goal, we at Lucerne – Neuchâtel Xamax opt for a bet on both to score bets offered by Comeon at the highest odds to 1.67.
Lucerne:
Last season was very restless for Lucerne. Among other things, the long-time head coach Markus Babbel was dismissed in the winter break and used as an interim solution Gerrado Seoane. The latter led the blue-and-white but still with a furious catch-up on a strong third place. The record of a total of fifteen wins, nine draws and twelve defeats but could not convince as well as the defensive, which allowed by 51 conceded by far most goals conceded by the top teams. The offensive was at best league mediocrity. Even the relegated had forty-six hits only five less than Lucerne. Nevertheless, the jump to one of the Europa League places, where in the past but never succeeded the big hit. This should now succeed René Weiler, who in the summer break on interim coach Seoane (now YB) followed.
The preparation, however, was anything but promising. Of five test matches only the first against the second division FC Winterthur and the last were won against FC Sochaux. At least against Winterthur proved the Weiler Elf Moral and turned by hits from Schmid and Follonier (two hits) the game to 3-1 final score. Against FC Vaduz, who is also in the two-tiered Challenge League on the road, then managed in the second test only a goalless draw, before Erstligist FC Lugano also a 1-1 draw could be wrested. In the penultimate test, it went against the Ukrainian top team Dynamo Kiev. Here, too, it was only enough for a narrow 1-1 draw, although this result against the last-year eighth-finalists of the Europa League but rather as a success. At the end, Lucerne still dueled with FC Sochaux – a French second division side – who was narrowly beaten 1-0.
Xamax:
After the bankruptcy of the first team in 2012 and the associated new start in the fifth-class, 2. League interregional ‘Neuchâtel Xamax has worked steadily upwards and in the last season extremely sovereign won the two-tier Challenge League, thus making the rise to the Swiss House of Lords clear. With a record of twenty-six wins, seven draws and just three defeats, the margin on second place was a whopping twenty-one points in the end. The heart of the team was certainly the strong offensive to veteran Nuzzolo, who scored twenty-six of the total eighty-two goals and prepared ten. Finally, however, the defensive already played at a different level than the competition, because even twenty-nine goals were by far league best.
In preparation, the red-blacks presented already to a proper level. Only the reigning champion Young Boys Bern was one size too big, so that the match was lost after the sovereign opening victory against third division FC Breitenrain Bern (2-0) with 0: 1. In the following test against Erstligist FC Thun followed a first sense of achievement, finally, the game could be won by residue even with 2: 1. Also Erstliga-relegated FC Lausanne Sport was then swept 5-1 from the place and was obviously not a real challenge. This found the eleven of head coach Michel Decastel but then in the Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven. Although it was the first test for the Dutch after the summer break, the 1: 1 is quite respectable.
PREDICTION: Luzern to win @ 2.00
