Thun start the new Challenge League season, which begins on Friday, as favorites. The team from the Bernese Oberland are aiming to achieve the promotion they so narrowly missed out on last season.
Thun have already got the new season off to a good start. Last Saturday, 1,300 fans attended the "Season Opener" in the Stockhorn Arena and were not only able to cheer on their team's 2:1 victory against French third-division side Sochaux, but also welcomed a club mascot. Münggu, Bernese German for marmot, is the name of Thun's new lucky charm, standing two meters tall in his costume.
Having narrowly missed out on a return to the Super League after four years in the second tier last season, it is understandable that Thun are now pulling out all the stops. They were three points and a handful of goals short of direct promotion, and were narrowly beaten by Grasshoppers in the barrage at their second attempt at the end of May.
Even though Daniel Dos Santos, Thun's best player, has moved to Lugano, the starting position for Mauro Lustrinelli's team looks better than last year. With FC Sion, the heavyweight has been promoted and with Stade Lausanne-Ouchy, a comparatively small team has been relegated.
The first reliable indication of the strength of the teams will come on Friday, when Thun travel to Aarau and Neuchâtel Xamax host Stade Lausanne-Ouchy. As is the case every year, Aarau are among the contenders for promotion. They have strengthened their defense with the arrival of Serge Müller from Germany's 3rd division and their forward line with Raul Bobadilla.
FC Vaduz, with Denis Simani returning from Lucerne, can also be expected to finish at the top of the table. The same applies to Neuchâtel Xamax, who will have to quickly form a team under coach Uli Forte from the many players signed in the summer. New to the league alongside Stade Lausanne-Ouchy is Etoile Carouge, who have been promoted from the Promotion League.
