On the Easter weekend everything is a bit different in Switzerland too! The matchday was already opened on Good Friday with two games; two more games were played on Holy Saturday, because on Easter Sunday no ball rolls and the time belongs to the families in Switzerland. Only on Monday, the 30th matchday of the current season is completed. It comes to a duel between David and Goliath! The newcomer Xamax Neuchatel receives the Master Young Boys from Bern to dance!
The point difference between the league returner and the Dominator is not less than 49 before the direct duel on Easter Monday! Accordingly, there is no need to discuss the role of the favorite in this game. A point win by the home side would definitely be a surprise. However, the Seoane-Elf should not take this game lightly, as Xamax has been improved a lot in the last race and may now even dream of a direct relegation! The beginning of the match in French-speaking Switzerland, in the Stade de la Maladiere, is on Monday at 15 pm.
Xamax :
On the fourth matchday of the current season, the climber from French Switzerland was the last time in a place above the ominous line. Since then, Neuchâtel’s reality (Neuchatel in French) is ninth or tenth! The threat of relegation in mind, the club decided in early February to change the coach. As successor the former national player Stephane Henchoz was promoted from assistant coach to head coach. For Henchoz, as an active under Celtic and Liverpool under contract, this represents the first task as a professional coach dar. With a record of five wins, a draw and four defeats, the interim conclusion can be absolutely positive.
However, Henchoz’s time on the bench is limited because despite the good results and the fact that the four-point deficit to the Grasshoppers was converted into a six-point cushion, the club’s side decided to take it at the end of the season Separate season from Henchoz. President Christian Binggeli has reservations that Henchoz is the right man for the club’s new philosophy in the long term. Young talents should be trained according to the model “FC Thun”. Joel Magnin, Young Boys’ current Under-21 coach, has already presented a successor.
Xamax Neuchatel celebrated five of the seven league games under Henchoz. The uptrend is clearly noticeable, but the fact that he is not trusted in the long term is certainly not conducive to a relegation battle. The game is made more difficult on Easter Monday due to the failure of veteran Geoffroy Serey Die. The former Basel player is missing yellow-locked, with his duel strength he was in the midfield of great importance and contributed a large part of the current boom. Due to his absence, the newly promoted defensively will probably not be as confident as last time.
Young Boys:
For over 30 years, the fans of the Young Boys had to wait for title win number twelve in Switzerland! After 2017/18, it was not even twelve months before another championship could be celebrated. It was quite a concern after Master coach Adi Hütter left the club. But with Gerardo Seoane succeeded in a stroke of luck. 25 wins in 29 games are the best proof of a well-deserved championship. Last weekend, the title win was mathematically fixed – and never before in the history of Swiss football was the champions earlier. The dominance of the Young Boys can be illustrated by the fact that the champions were able to achieve more points than the table third FC Thun and the fourth-placed FC Lugano together.
FCB’s goalless draw last weekend saw YBB take on the title before the match in Zurich. However, the team did not give up and switched back a gear. Thanks to a goal from Jean-Pierre Nsame, the champion was able to prevail 1-0 and celebrated after the final whistle the 13th league title of the club’s history. Successful coach Gerardo Seoane was grateful for the trust the club put in him, and praised the team for remaining stubborn, hungry and willing in spite of the comfortable situation. Basically, the championship was decided in view of the imposing lead at the turn of the year, but at no point in the season left the Seoane team loose. In eleven league games in 2019, the champion celebrated nine wins and had to take only two draws.
At the beginning of the second half, the Young Boys were a “last-minute team”. The unconditional will to win was always visible and not only succeeded once the victory thanks to a last-minute goal. In recent weeks, the offensive could then build on the strong performance from the autumn again. A total of eleven goals were scored against St. Gallen (3), Thun (5) and Lucerne (3). Meanwhile, the Young Boys have scored at least one goal in 60 league games in series. Gates are guaranteed at the Young Boys.
PREDICTION: Young Boys to win @ 1,52
