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The FCB has already been imposed on Osijek. Image: keystone
FC Basel before duty, FCSG before freestyle
Two more victories separate FC Basel and FC St. Gallen from the group stage of the Europa League. While the Basel team can be expected to qualify, it would be a surprise at the FCSG.
FC Basel – Anorthosis Famagusta
Not long ago the FC Basel media were ahead of the game. The retirement of sports director Ruedi Zbinden, the departure of coach Marcel Koller, the commitment of his successor Ciriaco Sforza: all personnel decisions that were communicated by the local press instead of the Basel club. Under Bernhard Burgener’s presidency, the FCB had lost its communicative sovereignty over internal processes after its aura as the best Swiss club. It is important to win again to bring calm to the club again, Burgener said earlier this month on the “sports scene.” His call was not unheeded.
In Basel there will hardly be calm. Fans also protested the club’s leadership on Wednesday. Image: keystone
Shortly afterwards, when offensive player Ricky van Wolfswinkel, who had already passed away, returned, the FCB actually retained sovereignty of communications, contrary to the club-related newspapers, an exodus of key players could be prevented, and the compromise was not Patrick Rahmen’s little explosive as Ciriaco Sforza’s second assistant came through the club. Communicated to the public.
But he could not guarantee peace on the Rhine’s knee. Ahead of the important Europa League 3rd qualifying round, the pressure on the FCB and especially on President Burgener and CEO Roland Heri remains high. In the petition “Yystoo for e FCB”, more than 8,000 fans are already calling for the unwanted management team to be removed.
Since Burgener took over at Basel more than three years ago, the break has been a rare companion to the former model club. Internationally, however, the team was hardly impressed. The last campaign, which led to the quarterfinals of the Europa League, even underlined the thesis that in Basel diamonds can only be made under pressure. When it comes to the home game against Anorthosis Famagusta, the exaggeration from outside may offer the extrinsic incentive that the players in the duel with the slight Cypriot could not immediately give.
With a win at St.Jakob-Park against the club from the Turkish part of Cyprus, Basler would have done only half the duty en route to the Europa League group stage. In the decisive game of the playoffs, which would also be played in Basel on October 1, the opponents would be CSKA Sofia or Torshavn of the Faroe Islands.
FCSG – AEK Athens
FC St. Gallen starts without pressure in qualifying. Peter Zeidler’s team is treated as an outsider in the third qualifying round despite the home game against AEK Athens. Unlike the Eastern Swiss, the Greeks are regulars in the European Cup. The penultimate season Athletik-Union Konstantinopel (AEK) reached the Champions League group stage for the last time. The squad also speaks out against St. Gallen. At the start of the championship against Sion (1-0), the FCSG could not hide that with Cedric Itten (Glasgow Rangers), Ermedin Demirovic (Freiburg) and Captain Silvan Hefti (Young Boys) they lost three pillars this season.
The runner-up in St. Gallen started the new season with success against Sion. Image: keystone
It would be a huge surprise for St. Gallen to reach the group stage of the Europa League, especially as a win against AEK Athens would make the playoff game even more difficult. A duel with Bundesliga’s Wolfsburg is tempting, who in the third qualifying round against Desna Tschernihiw of Ukraine is at least as big a favorite as Basel against Famagusta and AEK Athens against St. Gallen. (ram / sda)
