On Sunday 8 November at 2.00 pm, FC Lugano will face FC St. Gallen 1879 at the Berit Sitterstadion, in the 13th round of the Brack Super League. The bianconeri go into this final fixture before the international break as the unbeaten league leaders, having secured 34 points from twelve matches and holding a nine-point lead over Young Boys, who sit second in the table. The aim is to build on what has been an outstanding run of form so far, against an opponent who have regained their form and confidence in recent weeks.
The two sides meet again less than two months after Lugano’s convincing 4–1 victory at the AIL Arena on 16 September, when Mattia Croci-Torti’s side had already sealed the match by half-time, leading by four goals. That result had brought an end to a run of favourable results for the St Gallen side: in the 2025/26 season, in fact, Lugano had never managed to beat the Biancoverdi, recording three defeats and a draw in their four previous meetings.
A RESURGENT ST. GALLEN
The team managed by Enrico Maaßen currently sit fifth in the table with 19 points. After a positive start to the season, followed by a dip in form in September, St. Gallen have regained their consistency, winning three of their last four Brack Super League matches. Their only defeat came away at Young Boys, whilst in the last round the Biancoverdi beat Servette 2–1.
An opponent in good form, then, who have had the whole week to prepare for the match and will be able to count on the support of their home crowd. Lugano face a challenging away fixture against a side they know well and whom they will face again at the same stadium on Wednesday 2 December in the round of 16 of the Swiss Cup. St. Gallen are the current holders of that competition.
FROM EUROPE TO THE LEAGUE
FC Lugano go into this fixture on the back of a 3-0 victory over Kauno Žalgiris, secured on Thursday evening on matchday three of the League Phase of the UEFA Conference League. This victory has taken the bianconeri to nine points in Europe, confirming the team’s excellent form on the international stage as well.
However, managing the players’ energy levels is a key consideration ahead of the away trip to St Gallen. Against the Lithuanians, Croci-Torti made a number of changes to the line-up, giving playing time to players who had featured less in recent weeks and allowing other members of the squad to rest. These decisions yielded positive results and confirmed the squad’s depth, as the manager himself emphasised in his post-match comments: “To win together, we need everyone.”
Immediately after the European fixture, the bianconeri manager highlighted the need to recover energy ahead of Sunday’s match: “Above all, we’ll need to focus on regaining our strength.” Croci-Torti also described the match in St. Gallen as an extremely tough challenge, aware of the quality of the opposition and the pitfalls of a particularly demanding fixture list.
Before taking a break for international duty, Lugano therefore aims to take another step forward on its journey. The victory against Kauno Žalgiris confirmed the team’s solidity and maturity; they are now called upon to bring those same qualities to the St. Gallen pitch to continue their winning run and further consolidate their lead at the top of the league.
