A top-of-the-table clash awaits at the Lidl Arena as the league leaders and team with the best home record in the Challenge League plays host to the second-placed Stade Lausanne-Ouchy, the team with the best away record in the division. When you add in the fact that FC Wil are only at the top by virtue of three extra goals, it makes for a fascinating final game before the winter break to see which one of the two will spend the winter at the summit. It also represents a great opportunity to keep breathing space between themselves and Yverdon-Sport who occupy the promotion play-off spot in third.

After a surprising 5-0 away defeat to Bellinzona, Wil have gone six games unbeaten with four wins, including a 6-1 thrashing of Aarau, sandwiched in between draws at Vaduz and most recently in their last game against Neuchatel Xamax. FCW owe their position at the top to their incredible strength at home, winning the last five in a row and dropping points only once. 22 points gained at home compared to 11 on the road gives every indication of just how ominous a trip to these parts is.

Stade Lausanne-Ouchy also find themselves in good spirits, a defeat at Neuchatel Xamax thirteen days ago has been the only blip with four wins from five. There had been some doubt creeping in after narrow wins and that defeat, however, SLO answered those critics with a crushing 5-0 win over Yverdon last weekend. Anthony Braizat’s team are the opposite to Wil in that they embrace their travels, picking up more points than anyone else.

Despite SLO’s away form, I think some context some be applied. All of their wins have came against sides in the bottom half and they had yet to win away to anyone in the top half. Wil are unbeaten and have conceded only six goals at home this season. I don’t think SLO will be able to leave with anything more than a point.

It is fair to say that this campaign has not gone the way that either Thun or Vaduz expected. Two teams that would’ve hoped to be in the promotion race are instead stuck in the bottom half.

Thun are eight points adrift of the final hint of promotion that the play-off spot in third offers and are out of reach of relegation too with the nine-point gap over Neuchatel Xamax at the bottom. It keeps them in a sort of limbo heading into the winter break, but this is the Challenge League and a positive end to the year could set the platform for a second-half resurgence when the league resumes in January.

If you had offered Vaduz a place in European competition for the first time ever with the trade-off being a season stuck in the lower half, the principality club would’ve likely accepted. In some ways, it has been a fun journey for FCV but their European adventure has now ended and as the league winds down for winter, they’ll be hoping for better in the months to come to stave off the lingering threat of relegation.

Thun have won two games in a row in the league for the first time this season and remain strong at the Stockhorn Arena. They have yet to lose at home to anyone outside the top half and their three defeats came to the top three sides in consecutive matches. Vaduz have only one win away from home and suffered a 4-2 loss to Thun earlier in the season. They’ve also never won away to their hosts. I predict Thun DNB here.