After winning two away matches, FC Lugano Women are preparing for a prestigious evening in the AXA Women's Cup 2025/26. On Saturday 8 November at 7.15 p.m., at the Cornaredo Sports Centre, the Bianconere will face FC Zurich, one of the most successful clubs in Swiss women's football.
Their journey began on 30 August with a clear 4-0 victory over FC Luzern in the round of 32, followed by a penalty shootout victory over FC Biel-Bienne (7-5) after an intense and hard-fought match. Now, Andrea Antonelli's team faces a challenging and highly technical match.
"To face Zurich in the Cup, you need to have the right determination," explains captain Anila Bytyqi, a Swiss midfielder of Kosovar origin and one of the pillars of the team. "They are certainly a top-level team, but that doesn't discourage us: it's a great and important challenge, and we're going to enjoy it." These words sum up the spirit with which the team is preparing: respect for their opponents, but also enthusiasm and a desire to measure themselves against a team accustomed to the highest national levels.
This enthusiasm is shared by Sabina Di Muro, a midfielder from Ticino born in 2003 who grew up in Balerna and played for Zurich, who will experience the challenge with particular emotion: "Since the beginning of our journey in the Cup, I have always said to my teammates: 'Girls, let's keep going because I want to face Zurich! When I heard about the pairing, I jumped for joy." For her, it will be a return to the team where she took her first steps at national level, an extra motivation to give her all.
Antonella Albertini, an Italian midfielder born in 2003 and a pillar of the Bianconeri team, also sees the match as an opportunity for growth: "We know very well that we are facing a very strong team, but that should be an incentive for us. Every match, whether in Serie B, Prima Lega or Serie A, helps us improve as a team and as individuals."
The Bianconeri are therefore preparing for an important evening in front of their home crowd, aware of the strength of their opponents but also of the progress they have made in recent months. The aim is to put in a solid and courageous performance, to measure themselves against one of the strongest teams in the country and to continue to build confidence and identity ahead of the second half of the season.