Aarau v Winterthur (Challenge League)

Four days shy of one month since playing out a six-goal thriller at the Schutzenwiese, Aarau and Winterthur renew acquaintances at Brugglifeld for another pivotal chapter in the race for the title in the Challenge League. 

Winterthur remain in command as league leaders ahead of the short journey across to Aarau on Friday. Their one-point lead over Aarau remained intact thanks to a late comeback victory over Stade Lausanne-Ouchy last weekend. Sayfallah Ltaief and Roberto Alves struck in the final twenty minutes to overturn a 1-0 deficit. 

That turnaround is the kind of resolve needed to win titles and Aarau showed that trait themselves in their match with FC Wil at the IGP Arena. They trailed three times before eventually emerging as 4-3 winners to end a three-match losing streak and stop the rot that threatened their own title charge.

Both of these teams have had no problem finding the net this season. Winterthur are the highest scorers in the league with 55 goals in 28 games while Aarau are in third with 52 goals in 28 games. For my money, these two are the best in the league and both will be desperate to ensure they don’t give up ground to Vaduz and Schaffhausen who are lurking in the background. I expect a game as equally exciting as the 4-2 contest in early March with both teams registering on the scoresheet.

SC Kriens v FC Wil (Challenge League)

“Will SC Kriens ever win again?” … They will, eventually, but whether that happens in the Challenge League with just eight games remaining or in the third-tier Promotion League where their future is confirmed to lie next season is a legitimate question. It has been five months since their solitary league win of this campaign and they have never really looked like adding to that victory in the seventeen games that have followed. 

FC Wil were at their free-scoring best against Aarau but they kept up their standard gift-giving routine at the other end which brought an end to their four-match unbeaten streak in the league. While their unstable defence is an issue against most of the sides in the second-tier, it hasn’t been against a Kriens side that have only scored sixteen goals. Their potent attack, the second-highest scoring attack in the league, will also enjoy going up against a backline that has conceded a mammoth seventy goals so far.

The previous two home matches for FC Wil ended in 3-1 and 4-0 victories and their last visit to Kleinfeld was won 2-0. This should be a fairly routine return to form for the visitors and is a match they really shouldn’t lose. There is more value in backing draw no bet and I would do that here.

Young Boys v Lausanne (Super League)

Young Boys continue to find themselves in unfamiliar territory in the Super League this season. The four-in-a-row champions are almost certainly out of the title race and are instead embroiled in an unlikely battle for the final European spot with FC Lugano. 

Lausanne found some surprising but much-needed relief in their 4-1 victory over derby rivals Servette at the Tulliere. Having not won in fourteen league games, it was a performance that came from nowhere and reignited hope that LS aren’t yet consigned to the relegation scrapheap as they cut the gap on Luzern to seven points.

Seven of the last nine between YB and LS have ended with more than three goals and I expect that high-scoring theme to continue at the Wankdorf on Saturday. YB will be eager to end a five-game winless run and they remain strong at home, scoring in every match this season including in their three UEFA Champions League group fixtures.

Sixteen goals have been scored in the three previous meetings this season alone with eight of the last nine matches in the Super League for YB ending with Over 2.5 goals. I believe the champions will find themselves in a similar situation again with their visitors from Vaud.

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Grasshoppers v Luzern (Super League)

It may well be a case of “now-or-never” for Luzern in their attempts to reach safety from the perils of relegation. They do, for now at least, have a lifeline with the play-off spot they currently occupy in ninth but know that victory at the Letzigrund against eighth-placed Grasshoppers would give them a real shot of avoiding any relegation drama at all come late May.

GC continue to look over their shoulder as their winless run extended to seven games last weekend courtesy of their 1-1 draw with city rivals FC Zurich. There were still many positives for Giorgio Contini to take though as they became one of the few sides to have taken points from FCZ since late October.

At the Letzi, GC always put up a brave fight, but more often than not their defensive frailties let them down. It was evident in consecutive 4-2 defeats to Servette and FC Basel and has resulted in GC scoring in eight of their last nine home matches but still not managing to come away with the three points.

Luzern are in the same boat. They have scored in all but one of their fourteen away games this season yet managed only one win on the road and even led 2-0 in the opening ten minutes away to St. Gallen last time out before losing 3-2.

There is little doubt in my mind that both of these teams will find the net on Saturday but the match will ultimately be decided by which one has the more dangerous attack as neither can rely on their defence.

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