Aarau and Carouge face each other on Thursday in the only round of 16 tie between two Challenge League clubs. FC Aarau's next attempt to return to the spotlight is underway.
05.12.2024, 05:00
05.12.2024, 07:01
SDA
In September, there were more spectators at the Brügglifeld than there have been for twelve years. Almost 8500 people watched the match against FC Luzern. The lower-ranked team won 2:1 and qualified for the round of 16. At the time, it was an unexpected highlight in a bleak phase. Since then, things have improved for FCA in the Challenge League and they have moved to within four points of second-placed Etoile Carouge.
Geneva, who made a very strong start to the season, stand between FC Aarau and their next advance to the last eight of the Swiss Cup. It would be the fourth since FCA were relegated to the Challenge League for the second time in 2015 - a remarkable record for a club from the second-highest division.
The tenth should fix it
The small flights of fancy in the Cup, which have always ended in the quarter-finals in recent years, are just as fitting for the current FC Aarau as the never-ending story surrounding the new stadium. It is an approach to the best, without the breakthrough being achieved. There is always something standing between the most important sports club in Aargau and a return to its former greatness. The failure on the way back to the Super League was sometimes dramatic, sometimes grotesque. It is reminiscent of the agony of Hamburger SV in the 2nd Bundesliga.
In recent weeks, FC Aarau have now set course for the top places in the Challenge League. Since the coup against Luzern, there have only been two defeats. Brunello Iacopetta is currently the tenth coach to tackle the mission of regaining promotion since relegation in 2015. Marco Schällibaum, Patrick Rahmen and Alex Frei are among the most notable to have failed.
St. Gallen's good memories
Three Super League clubs are in action in the other two round of 16 matches on Thursday. Winterthur and Lausanne-Sport meet at the Schützenwiese, while FC St. Gallen play in Bellinzona. The Ticino club brings back fond memories for fans from eastern Switzerland. In 1969, FCSG, then coached by Albert Sing, celebrated its only Cup victory to date in the final against Bellinzona.
