Aarau v Yverdon-Sport 

The 2-1 defeat suffered away at Stade Lausanne-Ouchy last weekend proved to be the end for Stephan Keller as the manager of Aarau after over two years and 102 matches at the helm. His time at the club was a mixed bag, remembered mostly for the last-day capitulation of last season that took them from the cusp of the title and promotion to third place and another campaign in the second tier. The redemption arc had seemed promising too, losing just one of their opening ten games in 22/23, however, an extra-time cup defeat to Basel that also featured the long-term injury of top scorer Shkelqim Vladi is where it all began to unravel and Aarau have now failed to win in their last six.

Yverdon-Sport on the other hand are on an upward trajectory. Playing in the third tier just a couple of seasons ago, YS are one of the most exciting sides in the league and sit just one point behind SLO in second. If there had been lingering doubts after their credentials as surprising title contenders this season, a crushing 4-0 victory over heavy pre-season favourites Lausanne has made everyone sit up and take notice.

I think there will be goals in this game. Despite their form, Aarau are still a difficult prospect at home, losing only twice and having failed to only score in one game at Brugglifeld. That 1-0 loss to Bellinzona is also the only time they’ve failed to score there since April. They also haven’t kept a clean sheet at home since February. YS aren’t quite as good on the road, but they score regardless, and their last seven away games stretching back to last season have had Over 2.5 Goals.

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Thun v FC Wil

Due to the proposed increase of teams for the 23/24 season in Switzerland, third-place in the Swiss Challenge League now serves as the promotion play-off spot while both the title winners and second-place, previously reserved for the play-off, earn automatic promotion. Despite that increase, FC Thun seem further away from a return to the top flight than ever down in seventh and eleven points adrift. Some fans of the club were expecting an instant return in their first season back in 20/21 yet they now seem destined for another year at this level.

FC Wil have recovered from an erratic beginning to October that saw them unbelievably beaten 5-0 by Bellinzona. They kept two clean sheets in their next two before a thrilling 4-3 victory over Schaffhausen last weekend, a result they achieved with a man less for the final quarter of the match. Fans of the club are often hard-pressed to figure out which version of the team will turn up each week. That being said, FCW do remain in the thick of the hunt for promotion.

Thun have lost their last two at home which is surprising in itself as they are hard to beat at the Stockhorn Arena. Even with their better form, I’m reluctant to back Wil here as they’ve not won in their last four away and have kept only two away clean sheets in two years. I would go for Both Teams to Score instead. Thun have only failed to score once at home since October last year and have conceded in all but one of their home matches this season.

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Schaffhausen v Lausanne

With just one win in eight prior to their visit to the Lidl Arena to play FC Wil last week, FC Schaffhausen would’ve taken any pick-me-up to end their four-game winless run. It seemed that they may get that piece of luck after a red card for the home side allowed for a two-goal turnaround in just four minutes to have them on course for victory. However, they soon relinquished that lead against the ten men and remain the side currently in the worst form in the Challenge League. A visit from Lausanne, relegated from the Super League, is one that will be met with dread at the WeFox Arena.

For all their impressive home performances so far, Lausanne can’t buy a win away from the Tulliere. They have only scored four away goals and have lost their last four games too. If they could bring that record up to par with their home performances, LS would be running away with the league just as the pre-season opinion pieces had predicted.

While I expect Lausanne’s form to turn soon away from home, I’d be more cautious here. LS haven’t been able to match the goals of their opponents on their travels, but they have only conceded 11 goals in total and come up against a Schaffhausen team that has comfortably scored the fewest at home. I can see a narrow win for the visitors but would take that DNB option as a safety net.

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Stade Lausanne-Ouchy v Bellinzona

It was expected that a side called Lausanne would be at the top of the table by this stage of the season, just not Stade Lausanne-Ouchy. The neighbours are making plenty of noise as they top the table heading into Round 15 and have shown enough to suggest they can take a spot in the Super League in 23/24. It is a remarkable rise for a club that has steadily progressed in the four seasons since their promotion to the Challenge League. An out-of-nowhere 5-1 loss to Vaduz is their only defeat in their last nine games. A narrow 2-1 victory over Aarau last time out was also SLO’s fifth victory of their last six.

Bellinzona continued their fine form after promotion last season with victory over Vaduz last Sunday to make it three wins from their last four. There is some inconsistency in the performances as they have lost to Neuchatel Xamax and Yverdon-Sport in recent weeks but there won’t be a Bellinzona fan in the country not content with fifth place at this point of the campaign.

I would expect SLO to pick up the win here. They have the second-best defence and attack in the league and come up against a team that does have an eye for goal but also the worst defence in the league. The home side also won comfortably in Ticino earlier in the season so I can see another win to boost their title credentials at the Pontaise on Saturday.

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