No sooner had they celebrated their prestigious European victory against Getafe than FC Lugano were called upon to take to the pitch once again. On Sunday 25 October, at 2.00 pm, the bianconeri face reigning Swiss champions FC Thun away from home on matchday 11 of the Brack Super League. It is a special fixture, pitting the only two teams in the Swiss league competing in Europe this season against one another, both fresh from their UEFA Conference League matches on Thursday evening.
FROM EUROPE TO THE LEAGUE
Lugano go into the match on a wave of enthusiasm following their convincing 5–2 away win at Getafe, one of the most significant performances of Mattia Croci-Torti’s tenure. It was an evening in which the bianconeri showed character and quality, responding immediately to going behind after just two minutes and going on to score five goals.
Following their opening-day victory against FK Crvena Zvezda, the team have thus secured six points from their first two matches in the European group stage, sitting second in the overall standings. This run of form complements an equally positive campaign in the Brack Super League, where Lugano top the table with 28 points, the result of nine wins and one draw in their first ten matches.
These figures reflect a particularly strong start to the season, in which Croci-Torti’s side have yet to suffer a defeat in any competition. The bianconeri will be looking to build on this form in Thun, despite having little time to recover following their trip to Spain.
THE OPPONENT
On the other side will be a team that is experiencing a very different situation compared to last season. Following their historic national title win in 2025/26, at the end of a league campaign dominated by the newly promoted side, Thun are facing greater difficulties at the start of this season.
The Bern-based side currently sit ninth with 10 points, having already suffered six defeats in their first ten matches. This is a telling statistic when compared with the seven defeats they recorded in their first 33 matches of last season’s league campaign.
Their European campaign has also got off to a rocky start. On Thursday evening, Thun were beaten 1–0 at home by Hajduk Split, suffering their second consecutive setback in the UEFA Conference League following an identical result a week earlier in the Netherlands against Twente.
However, the Bernese side’s current struggles should not lead us to underestimate the difficulties of this away fixture. This is also demonstrated by last season’s record, when all four head-to-head encounters were decided by a single-goal margin. Following their 2-1 defeat at Cornaredo on the opening day of the league season, Lugano went on to win their next three matches, all by a 1-0 scoreline.
CROCI-TORTI: ‘WE MUST KEEP OUR FEET ON THE GROUND’
Mattia Croci-Torti addressed the issue of concentration immediately after the match against Getafe. Whilst emphasising the importance of the result achieved in Spain and the development of a squad in which everyone knows their role, the bianconeri manager drew attention to the need to maintain the momentum of the journey they have embarked upon.
“Now the hardest job falls to me; I have to manage to keep our feet on the ground,” explained the manager, noting that “in three days’ time we have a match in Thun that has never been an easy one”.
This reminder was accompanied by an awareness of the expectations that these results are creating: “The fans expect great matches like these, and they expect something at the end of the year, so we can never stop being focused.”
The victory over Getafe has further boosted the team’s confidence, but the fixture list means they must turn their attention elsewhere straight away. On Sunday in Thun, Lugano will be called upon to channel their European enthusiasm into another solid performance, with the aim of defending their league lead and continuing their positive run.
