FC Basel face leaders Thun in the top match of the 22nd Super League round. The champions must win against the promoted side if they want to retain their chances of defending the title.
01.02.2026, 09:00
SDA
17 rounds are still to be played in the Super League, which is almost half the number of matches in the championship. So nothing is decided yet. And yet the ten-point deficit between FC Basel and leaders Thun seems like a huge burden. Especially as the champions have just undergone a change of coach and have been eliminated from the Europa League.
Thun continue to march on relentlessly
On the other hand, Thun have made an astonishingly stable impression and have picked up in the new year where they left off last year. Anyone who speculated that the Bernese Oberland team's head would start spinning when looking at the table during the winter break, paralyzing their legs, has been proven wrong. Commanding victories against Grasshoppers and Young Boys speak volumes.
The first duel between FCB and Thun in mid-September was won by the favorites from Basel. Now the team of new coach Stephan Lichtsteiner must also win at St. Jakob-Park on Sunday to reduce the gap to seven points. A defeat - which would be the first in the league since the beginning of November - would leave the champions 13 points behind the leaders and would probably have to bury their hopes of successfully defending their title.
St. Gallen at fearful opponents Lucerne
However, FC Thun is not the only club that wants to challenge the Bebbi for the title. Between the leaders and fourth-placed FCB are Lugano and FC St. Gallen, who also have championship ambitions.
The team from eastern Switzerland suffered a painful home defeat against Servette last weekend, have just one point more than Basel, but still have a catch-up game against bottom-placed Winterthur up their sleeve.
St. Gallen travel to FC Luzern on Sunday, who are also threatened by relegation. A look back, however, shows that the eastern Swiss side in particular are likely to be challenged: St. Gallen have been waiting two and a half years for a full win against Lucerne, with their last victory in central Switzerland dating back to December 2019. It would be a good time for coach Enrico Maassen to win against Mario Frick for the first time.
