Ludovic Magnin is not having a peaceful Advent season. In the two rounds before the Christmas break, Basel's coach urgently needs points and goals against Lucerne on Wednesday and Servette on Saturday.
17.12.2025, 05:01
17.12.2025, 06:59
SDA
Ludovic Magnin has only been in charge of FCB for 17 Super League games, but the pressure is already enormous. Fourth place and, above all, the fourth weakest offense in the league - only Lugano, GC and Winterthur score fewer goals - are not in keeping with the Swiss champions' self-image. In addition, the former Swiss international does not seem to have really found the connection to his star player Xherdan Shaqiri. In the dismal 0-0 draw against Lausanne on Sunday, the magic foot remained on the bench for over an hour.
Nothing major has happened in the table yet. No team is performing consistently and has been able to pull away. Although FCB have only won one of their last six games, failing to score four times in the process, defending their title is still well within their grasp. To keep it that way, victories are now required, especially against Luzern, who are in poor form.
Frick's excellent record against Magnin
Mario Frick's team have picked up a measly one point from their last five games - with 14 goals conceded. Against whom, if not the shooting gallery from central Switzerland, would FC Basel like to score again? But watch out: Lucerne has not been a good place for FCB recently. They haven't won there in three games for exactly two years. Mario Frick's record as a coach against Ludovic Magnin is almost outstanding: in the last eight duels, the man from Liechtenstein has won four times and drawn four times.
One thing is clear: both teams are in desperate need of a win. Lucerne are in danger of losing sight of qualifying for the Top 6 championship round at an early stage and, in the worst case, could even be dragged into the relegation maelstrom. In Magnin's case, it is difficult to imagine that the 46-year-old from Vaud will still be on the FCB bench in the new year if he fails to win at third-bottom Luzern on Wednesday and at home against fourth-bottom Servette.
YB on course, GC in free fall
The vibes are better than in Basel at YB, who want to get back to the top and are aiming for a return to old values with returning coach Gerardo Seoane. After 17 rounds, the Bernese have nine points more than at the same point last season. Not everything is golden yet, but after the prestigious victory in the Europa League against top French side Lille and the must-win victory over Luzern on Sunday, Young Boys have the chance to establish themselves in the top flight against GC.
At the record champions from Zurich, coach Gerald Scheiblehner's chair is shaking. If the Grasshoppers lose for the fourth time in a row (the last three times without scoring), they would be in a worse position with 14 points than at any time since the Super League was introduced. Even in the 2018/19 relegation season, they were in a better position after 18 rounds.
FC Zurich (7th) and Lugano (6th) will go head-to-head at the Letzigrund. All three games on Wednesday will kick off at 20:30.
