2023-08-17 02:50:20
Swiss Cup
“If we throw FCZ out of the cup, there will be a free night”
From Friday, the super league teams will meet amateur clubs in the first main round of the Swiss Cup. Two inner-city duels in Bern and Zurich are particularly in focus.
Published17. Aug 2023, 4:50 am
In 2018, Red Star played against FCZ on the Allmend Brunau at home and narrowly lost 2:3 to the big favorite.
Andy Mueller/freshfocus
This year, Red Star is going to the Letzigrund stadium for the cup hit against their big neighbors.
Andy Mueller/freshfocus
Marco Hurter already played against YB with FC Breitenrain in preparation for the Burkhalter Cup.
Claudio De Capitani/freshfocus
Now the office list wants to stop the master in the cup.
Claudio De Capitani/freshfocus
Meschack Elia could possibly be Hurter’s direct opponent on Friday. “A rocket,” said the amateur kicker about the lightning-fast YB Congolese.
Claudio De Capitani/freshfocus
In the Swiss Cup, the games in the 1/32 final will take place between Friday and Sunday.
In the run-up to this, 20 minutes spoke to players from Breitenrain (Promotion League) and Red Star (2nd interregio league).
The two amateur clubs duel with YB and FCZ.
The amateurs look forward to these stars
Breitenrain captain Marco Hurter used to play in the youth team for years and experienced the legendary championship match against Lucerne in 2018 as a fan with “tears of joy” in the stadium. Now the defender with the Promotion League Club can run against the players he otherwise cheers for at the same place and could meet YB speedster Meschack Elia in a direct duel. «It will probably be difficult against this rocket. I might have to get a foul out and play clever, »hurter jokes. He was also very impressed by the presence of shooting star Fabian Rieder in the last duel in a preparatory tournament. At Red Star (2nd interregio league), defender and FCZ fan Dario Dreier is particularly looking forward to the rencontre with Antonio Marchesano: “Experiencing his technique up close is definitely special.”
Dreams of Freinacht and football fairy tales
“It’s definitely a free night,” Dreier replies when asked how Red Star would celebrate a possible sensation against the leaders of the Super League. If the worst came to the worst, you would see him and his teammates “out and about in Zurich all night”. YB didn’t know how to fully convince at the beginning of the season and is facing important games in the Champions League playoffs. Nevertheless, Hurter keeps the ball flat and says: “You are the big favorite, but we will do everything we can to write a fairy tale.” The player from “Breitsch” is satisfied if the result against the double winner can be kept close for as long as possible and if there is a “big Bern football festival”.
logistical challenges
Both the Bern city duel between Breitenrain and YB as well as that in Zurich between Red Star and the FCZ does not take place on the home facilities of the amateur clubs. While at Quartierclub Breitenrain If a new artificial turf is laid on the Spitalacker sports field and is therefore switched to Wankdorf, Red Star voluntarily refrains from playing on the Allmend Brunau, as they did in the last cup duel against FCZ 2018.
Red Star President Yves Cornioley explained 20 minutes that the match could no longer be held at home due to security and the increased requirements and that is why they play in the Letzigrund. “In 2018 we needed 150 volunteers. That would be impossible to organize during the holiday season.” Nevertheless, the organization remains in the hands of the amateur club this year, which is why Cornioley and his team recently sacrificed an hour or two of free time to contribute to the success of a cup festival. Financially, the whole thing remains a balancing act. “If a nice chunk looks out at the end, that would be all the better,” says Cornioley.
This is how the teams prepare for the highlight of the season
While the pros from YB and FCZ devote themselves entirely to football, the players of their amateur opponents are all employed or, like Red Star defenders Dreier, still studying. At the Zurich club from the 2nd interregio league, the players would not take any special measures to prepare for the cup cracker. “Of course the match is very special for everyone here, but ultimately it’s just a football game,” says Dreier.
Breitenrain’s defender Hurter works full-time as a trustee, but asked his boss for some additional preparation time, at least on the day of the game. “On Friday morning I’m still in the office, from noon I’ll be preparing for the game in the evening,” says the 29-year-old.
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