99 percent of the time, FC Zurich wins the championship, 99 percent of the time Lausanne is relegated: while the most important decisions seem to have already been made in the Super League, there is high tension in a league further down. Seven laps before the end, Winterthur, Aarau, Schaffhausen and Vaduz are ranked 1 to 4 within five points – and Thun, in 5th place, is nine points behind leader Winti and still has justified hopes, at least for the Barrageplatz.
When it comes to the question of advancement, the best clairvoyant would reach their limits. So far, none of the top teams has made a solid impression. Example: After five wins in February and a five-point lead at the top of the table, FC Aarau lost four of the last five games and had to cede the lead to Winterthur.
But there is someone whose assessment should serve as a basis for a prognosis: Gianluca Frontino (32). He was an attacking midfielder (264 appearances) for four clubs between 2009 and 2019, all four are part of the crazy promotion race: Aarau, Winterthur, Schaffhausen and Thun. Frontino has only never played for Vaduz, but knows the Liechtensteiners well from a number of direct duels.
Frontino does the promotion check for Blick – and dares to predict who will rise directly in the end and who will contest the barrage against the Super League ninth.
1. Winterthur
“Finally! You can finally feel the ambitions in Winterthur. Even if the players make a verbal understatement: Internally, the maximum goal is certainly being aimed for. When I was at the Schützenwiese there was still the feeling that taking part is more important than winning, that bothered me a bit. With Alex Frei there is now a coach at work who is the epitome of ambition. Another advantage for Winterthur: The team is very experienced and can deal with pressure – they recently demonstrated that in the 3-0 win in Aarau.”
2. Aarau
“FCA belongs in the Super League. I’m impressed by the calm in the club: before the start of the season, promotion was the goal, but things always stayed calm in difficult phases – even now, despite four defeats in five games. Coach Stephan Keller really instilled his game principles into the team. Everyone knows exactly what to do. That can be a decisive advantage in the final sprint, in which there will be setbacks for all teams.”
3. Schaffhouse
«Surprise team? No! Schaffhausen is rightly involved in the front. I know a lot of players and know that the team spirit is sensational. Everyone likes to do dirty work for their colleagues on the pitch. The problem is that the team too often gets in their own way with inexplicable blackouts: They lost points three times against relegated Kriens – unbelievable! I still have a lot of faith in FCS because the team makes the best use of the advantage of artificial turf.”
4. Vaduz
“The departure of coach Mario Frick to Lucerne during the winter break hit the team hard, but it has now stabilized under Alessandro Mangiarratti. The fact that the structure of the team was already there in the 2019/20 promotion season speaks for Vaduz: You know how it’s done! »
5. Thun
“You should never write off Thun: What has proven itself over and over again in the Super League for many years is also true now. After a weak start to the second half of the season, they have won four of the last five games. Nevertheless, I think that the turning point comes too late.”
Frontino’s Rise Prognosis:
And who will rise in the end? Who qualifies for the Barrage? Frontino: «The head says: Aarau is finding its way back to its old strength and is first, FC Winterthur second. As a fan, I would like FC Aarau to be promoted directly – I don’t begrudge all the teams behind them the barrage. And the Super League club definitely has to dress warmly in this one.”
More about the Challenge League
Ten Challenge League
|
team |
SP |
TD |
PT |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
9 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
10 |
0 |
0 |
0 |