After the postponement of last 2nd November due to bad weather, FC Lugano and FC St. Gallen will meet again on Wednesday 26th November at the Cornaredo Stadium for the rematch of the challenge valid for the 12th day of the Brack Super League. The previous game had been suspended at the 48th minute, with Lugano ahead 1-0 thanks to Behrens' goal; now the rematch will start again from the beginning and from the 0-0 score, a restart that imposes to Mattia Croci-Torti's team to find again intensity and rhythm since the beginning whistle.
St. Gallen arrives to the challenge as third in the league standings, strong with 24 points and with the last home success obtained at the weekend against Lausanne. Enrico Maaßen's formation continues to confirm itself among the most solid of the championship. The HCL players, on the other hand, present themselves at the appointment dragged by the enthusiasm of the external victory on the field of the chief player Thun, that confirms the positive period the team is living.
KEEPING THE CONCENTRATION HIGH
Just the HCL trainer in the press conference underlined the importance of not stopping working with the head down and keeping concentration and humility also in the next matches: "It's a happy moment, but we haven't done anything yet. We have made up for the bad start and now we have to give continuity, remaining humble and focused".
The coach also recalled how much the team cares about doing well in the rematch: "We had that match on 2 November on the right track and it was unpleasant to see that good first half taken away from us. Tomorrow we will absolutely try to take the three points".
THE OPPONENT
From a tactical point of view, Croci-Torti expects to find a St. Gallen that is different in the interpreters but not in the system of play: "More than tactics, the interpretation of the players counts. The men change and the rhythm or quality changes'.
The coach then analysed the possible choices of the adversaries, without Görtler - sent off in the last game - and with valuable alternatives: "If Quintillà or Stevanovic play instead of Neziri, the type of game changes. With Quintillà perhaps the intensity decreases, but the quality increases. Daschner can also shift the balance: he is a player who looks deep and makes the difference'.
Lugano, on its side, will have to do without the disqualified Bislimi and will evaluate possible rotations, also in sight of Saturday's game against Sion.
CIMIGNANI: "WE WANT TO WIN IN ORDER TO CHASE THE TOP".
Alongside the coach, Yanis Cimignani, who has become more and more of a protagonist in recent weeks, also spoke. "When you start playing with continuity you get confidence and automatism. I'm very happy with my minutes and I have to keep on showing the coach that he's right to let me play," explained the HCL outfielder.
Cimignani then underlined the importance of tomorrow's game in the team's path: "Every game is different, but our objective is to keep on winning to get as close as possible to Thun first in the league standings. We know that we have to take three points every time to stay there'.
Finally, he spoke about his role and his growth: "Sometimes I have to help more in the defensive phase, other times I have to be the one who creates or scores. It depends on the position the coach asks me for. The important thing is to be ready and contribute to the victory".
The Cornaredo's challenge assumes therefore a relevant weight in the league standings: with a victory, Lugano would overtake St. Gallen and would climb up to the second place tied with Young Boys. An ambitious aim, but fully in the ropes of a team that won six of the last seven games and wants to give a further boost to its moment.
STEFFEN IN THE GROUP
Finally, positive news arrived from the front of the unavailable players. Renato Steffen has been 100% reintegrated with the team, having completed his recovery process. The clinical progress of Ezgjan Alioski, who has started individual work on the pitch, is also continuing positively. News, then, for Mattia Bottani: the magnetic resonance performed on 21 November confirmed a good recovery path from his injury. Finally, the physiotherapy and gym programme continues for David von Ballmoos, who continues his recovery process.