Football Season Guide

They enter this campaign as Schweizer Pokal champions. Not the most magnificent of achievements, given they ended up facing a Challenge League opponent in the final, but they still did a professional job and will subsequently be playing in Europe this season. Their squad is pretty settled. Making Balde's loan move into a permanent move was simply common sense in attack; he's hard to handle, despite his inconsistency. They've added playmaker Frokaj to give a little more depth in the middle of the park, which should prove a good move. Getting both Neziri and Fazliji back from long-term injuries should help the defensive side of their midfield enormously - if they can stay fit. Their defence should be solid. Kleine-Bekel's loan was made permanent, and they've not lost any of their mainstays in that area of the pitch. Ambrosius has returned from his loan spell, and won't be going anywhere for a while, given his ACL injury - unclear if he will stay in the long run or not. Even their superb goalkeeper, Ati-Zigi, is still yet to move on. European commitments will be a big ask for them, although it most likely won't be in the Europa League, having been drawn against mighty SL Benfica. Asking the likes of Gortler to play twice in a week is just asking for trouble though, so unless they go out, that will be a problem for a team that generally relies heavily on their energy levels. The initial concern for this team was where the goals will come from. Star striker Vogt moved on pre-season, and for a pretty paltry sum in truth, something the club has drawn criticism for. The expectation is that the next youngster to roll off their production line - Diego Besio - will become a regular. He's a gifted finisher but whether he's ready to play every week is open for debate. Therefore, they signed Andrin Hunziker just before the start of the season, who should fill Vogt's boots well in due course. They should have a good Super League campaign though, largely because of their midfield, which can hold its own against any opponent in the division. They've got a manager who, although somewhat unconventional, knows how to get the most out of his team. There's no real reason to doubt this group, even if they do end up starting slowly.