Following their last-gasp victory in Thun, the bianconeri are gearing up to return to action. On Sunday 3 May at 4.30 pm, Mattia Croci-Torti’s side will face BSC Young Boys on Matchday 35 of the Brack Super League, the second fixture in the Championship Group.
THE RUN FOR EUROPEAN
QUALIFICATION Saturday’s victory at the Stockhorn Arena has given the bianconeri’s campaign a further boost. Alioski’s 97th-minute penalty allowed Lugano to beat league leaders Thun 1-0, securing their third consecutive win and extending a winning run that has been ongoing since early March.
The league table makes this fixture all the more significant. Lugano go into the match in third place, three points behind second-placed St. Gallen and five points clear of fourth-placed Sion. Every match in the Championship Group therefore carries significant weight, at a stage of the season where details and individual moments can decisively shape the final sprint.
They face a Young Boys side coming off a different outcome to that experienced by the bianconeri in Thun. The Yellow and Blacks were in fact beaten at home by St. Gallen after conceding a goal in the closing minutes, in what has been an inconsistent season so far. The table sees them in sixth place in the Championship Group, but the quality of the squad and the individual talents at Gerardo Seoane’s disposal make his side an opponent to be treated with the utmost caution.
The balance of the fixture is further confirmed by this season’s head-to-head record. In the three league encounters played so far, the record is perfectly even: one win apiece and a draw, which came in the last meeting in Bern at the end of March. A record that points to an open contest, in which Lugano will look to capitalise on home advantage.
THE LAST THREE AT CORNAREDO
Sunday’s match will, in fact, mark the start of the countdown to the final three competitive fixtures at Cornaredo. As Mattia Croci-Torti confirmed after the win against Thun, the final matches at the historic stadium must give the team an extra boost: “Our sole mission now is to stay focused. We need to be on our toes, because we have the next two matches at home and I expect a Cornaredo packed with enthusiasm, helping this team achieve what we’ve been working towards.” Words that mark the end of a season in which sporting objectives intertwine with the emotional farewell to the historic stadium.
So, on Sunday at Cornaredo, a special run-in will begin. Three home matches still to be played in the stadium that has accompanied generations of fans, with the aim of transforming the support from the stands into decisive energy for the season’s finale.
