In the second installment of the Cup round of 16, the Swiss champions, the Super League leaders and the title defender's conquerors are in action on Wednesday.
For Young Boys, the moment seems ideal to win two games in a row for the first time this season. The Bernese have halted their downward spiral under Joël Magnin, but have only just begun their race to catch up in the league at a reduced pace. A winning streak is what YB wants. With Schaffhausen, the hurdle for the Champions League participants in midweek is a little less high for once.
The 1:6 against Atalanta Bergamo last week provided insights that have benefited YB. "We talked after the game about what they did better," said Magnin. They came to the conclusion that it was above all the precision, simplicity of play and intensity in the duels that spoke in the Italians' favor. Against FC St. Gallen (3:1) at the weekend, they managed to improve these areas in their own game.
The next test will come against Schaffhausen. YB will not underestimate their opponents from the Challenge League. The Bernese are still too unstable for that and Schaffhausen are too impressive a reference for their quality as underdogs. Ciriaco Sforza's team eliminated cup winners Servette in the round of 16. Since then, however, they have only won two out of nine games.
Valais' lack of success in Basel
In the other two cup round of 16 matches on Wednesday, Super League clubs will face each other, albeit with similarly clear-cut favorites. FC Basel will host FC Sion in a clash of 13-time cup winners, while FC Lugano will visit Yverdon. Although Basel dropped points against Lausanne-Sport (1:1) on Saturday after four home wins in a row, they remain Super League leaders and clear favorites against FC Sion, who have often given them a leg up in the Cup in the past.
FC Sion booked their second away win in the championship at the right time at the weekend to travel to Basel with a somewhat broader chest. The Valais side have been waiting for a win at the knee of the Rhine since June 2015. Back then, they won the cup final against FCB 3:0 at St. Jakob-Park.
Ticino's run of success
FC Lugano have been on a rollercoaster ride in terms of results since the beginning of November: 1:4 at the Serbs of Backa Topola, 4:1 against FC Zurich, 2:0 against Gent and most recently 0:3 at Servette. In the Cup, however, the Ticino side have not put a foot wrong for months. In the last 20 games in this competition, there have only been two defeats (in the final), the last one in June against Servette after a penalty shoot-out. The last time the Luganesi were eliminated was over three and a half years ago in the quarter-finals against FC Luzern.
SDA
