Another round ticked off for Young Boys in the capital last weekend as they brushed aside third-placed St. Gallen in what can only be described as a real show of force by the champions-elect. There isn’t a lot we don’t know about the strength of their mentality by now, but any doubts that could be had were eradicated after they came from behind to win 5-1 against FCSG. The early goal scored by Lukas Gortler for the visitors was no more than an inconvenience for Raphael Wicky’s men and there is also no doubt that they will be reclaiming their Swiss crown come May or even earlier at this current rate.

Lugano are still very much in contention for a place in the Champions League and at least certainly in some form of European competition, but they have stuttered over the last few weeks, drawing against Grasshoppers and Luzern with a loss at relegation-threatened Winterthur sandwiched in between. The Ticino club have just three wins from their last ten games but also just three defeats – draws have definitely been a habit of late. The capital is not a happy hunting ground either having won just one of their last twelve visits stretching back to 2017.

YB are swatting everyone aside, especially at home, and that confidence should see them record another routine victory against Lugano, a team that they already beat 3-0 in Bern in September and then 4-1 away at the Cornaredo in mid-October.

There’s a derby in the Midlands on the opening weekend of the new season as Longford host Athlone in a game where fans of both sides will find themselves scanning the team sheet throughout in order to familiarise themselves with all the new faces on show.

Despite reaching the play-offs last season, Longford Town start 2023 with almost an entirely new squad as the departure of manger Gary Cronin, who left to take up the assistant managers job at Bohemians, allowed rival clubs to swoop and pick of De Town’s top performers. New manager Stephen Henderson admitted he did not expect to be overseeing a rebuild but that’s what he has had to do with the former Cobh boss turning to youth. Henderson’s last job was Head of the Shelbourne Academy so he has used that link to bring a number of promising young players to Longford.

As for Athlone, it’s anyone’s guess what contacts they used during the winter as the Westmeath side have brought in players from all over the globe. In a recent pre-season game, Athlone’s squad featured players from El Salvador, Portugal, Haiti, Nigeria, Lithuania, Holland, and beyond. Some of these players appear to have played at very minor levels in the US so how they’ll fit into the LOI is also anyone’s guess.

However, Athlone boss Dermot Lennon has been able to keep some of his best players from last season, including his son Adam who could be set for a big season having scored 6 goals in 12 last term after stepping down from the Premier Division where he was with UCD. Athlone enjoyed one of their best runs of form in years at the end of last season as they won 6 of their final 10 league games so there are ambitions of troubling the top-half of the table this season and maybe sneaking a play-off place.

Despite all the exits at Longford Town, the entire club has been given a huge boost in recent days with the shock return of local lad Aodh Dervin on loan from Shelbourne. The all action midfielder played a huge part in the clubs 2020 promotion campaign and was Shels best player in November’s FAI Cup final at the Aviva Stadium which makes this move all the more surprising. Dervin should be head and shoulders above the majority of players he’ll encounter this season after playing two consecutive seasons in the Premier Division and being a local lad and fan of the club he’ll have everyone geed up for this derby.

Longford have looked ok in pre-season, there’s definitely a few youngsters who may emerge as surprise packages this season and if they can keep their more experienced players fit, they could surprise a few. While Athlone Town won on their most recent visit here, that was their first win over Longford in 20 attempts and with a big crowd expected to welcome prodigal son Dervin home, a home win looks likely here.

A meeting between the league’s top two promises twists aplenty with lots riding on the outcome. If Feyenoord lose, they will finally concede top spot to a rival come the end of the weekend — the same is possible if they draw, too. If AZ are defeated, it would be a major dent in their aspirations with Ajax now back in form. It’s going to be a mental blow for one of these clubs.

Feyenoord, despite some minor slip-ups (mainly draws), still have the momentum at the top. If they have weathered their dip in form, then some strong results are to come. If AZ go ahead, there is no doubt that Feyenoord’s fighting spirit will roar once again in De Kuip. I’m not sure AZ will make it through the whole match without conceding given their lack of centre-back options at the moment. There can be no doubt that the visitors will be a dangerous side at points in the game. Vangelis Pavlidis is one of the league’s top goal-scorers and left-winger Jesper Karlsson likes popping up on the big occasions.

Crucially for Feyenoord, Orkun Kokcu is out through suspension. Could this be one player missing too many for them with Justin Bijlow and Gernot Trauner also out? Santiago Gimenez is far from the finished article as a striker, but he has definitely given this side an X-factor when they need some magic in matches, which could be vital up against a stand-in centre-back for AZ. I still believe that Feyenoord are on for something special this season, and this will be another close, exciting game with at least one goal for either side.