The final quarter belongs to Lugano, Basel and Lucerne

Until the beginning of December, the leaders changed almost weekly. Hardly any team was not at the top of the table in the first few months of the championship. Wins were often followed by failures, which is one of the reasons why the top five teams started the second part of the championship after the winter break with an almost identical points haul. Three teams have now pulled away slightly. With two wins and a draw this year, Lugano, Basel and Lucerne have pulled away slightly.

The trio are characterized by their ability to pull their heads out of the noose and manage crunch time, the time in the game that counts, better than the competition. In the last match before Christmas, FC Luzern turned a 2:3 score in stoppage time at Winterthur into a 4:3 win, increasing the points gained thanks to goals in the final quarter of an hour to 15. FC Basel scored the last two goals to make it 3:1 in stoppage time in a landmark match against Servette at the end of November and has since prevented defeat twice by scoring just before the end of the 90 minutes.

Lugano loves a challenge

The league specialists for late goals are the Luganesi, at least in 2025. In the penultimate round in Winterthur, they scored in stoppage time to win, just as they did at home against Sion on Saturday. No other team has scored anywhere near as many points in the first 21 rounds after trailing as the current leaders. The Bianconeri, coached by the hot-blooded Mattia Croci-Torti, have been behind 14 times and still picked up 21 points with six wins and three draws. Lucerne have 13 points, while FC Basel, like YB, have 8.

Individual strengths, the breadth of the squad, fitness and mental strength are likely to play their part when it comes to stepping up a gear in the final minutes. The differences between the Super League clubs in this respect are particularly impressive in a special table from "transfermarkt.ch", which only takes into account results up to the 75th minute. In this table, Servette would be leaders - four points ahead of Lugano and an incredible 13 ahead of Luzern. In other words, in the final quarter of an hour of the season to date, including stoppage time, Lucerne have created a difference of 17 points between themselves and Geneva.

YB want a first positive series

While Lugano will be looking to get ahead at St. Gallen on Wednesday before Basel and Lucerne face off the following day, Young Boys will be aiming to start the often-predicted race to catch up. The Bernese have a good opportunity at home against Yverdon in the 22nd round to secure a second consecutive championship win for the first time this season.