Two weeks after their last encounter on 24 January in Cornaredo, FC Lugano returns to face FC Winterthur, this time away from home. The previous match ended in a clear 4-1 victory, but Saturday's game will be different: at Schützenwiese, the Zurich team plays with particular intensity, driven by their home crowd and a league position that forces them to fight until the very end. Furthermore, the two teams
are in different form two weeks on. FC Lugano are coming off a 1-1 draw in Zurich against Grasshopper CZ, while Winterthur are coming off a home win against Lausanne, a result that has reignited their hopes of avoiding relegation. On the one hand, the Bianconeri want to keep pace with leaders Thun, while on the other, the Zurich side are looking for points to close the gap on second-bottom GCZ.
CROCI-TORTI: 'WINTERTHUR IS A DIFFERENT OPPONENT AT HOME'. Mattia Croci-Torti
spoke about the trip to Schützenwiese at a press conference: 'We know that there are two Winterthur teams: the home team and the away team. Going there is always complicated, especially in winter. They are a team that pushes hard until the end with their home crowd and have brought in new players during the transfer window to secure their survival.
The Bianconeri coach therefore expects a complicated match, also from a tactical point of view: They changed their formation in their last match and got a win. We'll see if they do it again: it could be a completely different game, even tactically. There is also a mini cycle of three games (
Winterthur, Servette and Basel) in eight days on the horizon, but the coach prefers to stay focused on the present: Winning a game in the Brack Super League is very difficult for everyone. At the moment, only Thun is keeping up a significant winning streak, and they deserve credit for that. We have to take it one game at a time: just getting the three points tomorrow would be something very nice.
From a team perspective, the coach expressed his satisfaction with the solutions found in recent weeks, particularly on the left wing: Against Grasshopper, I was very happy with how Mahou played defensively on the left; he was practically perfect. Now we have to grit our teeth until we get our left-backs, Alioski and Marques, back.
GRGIĆ: "I HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE IN OUR TEAM."
Alongside the coach, Juventus midfielder Anto Grgić, who was deployed as a centre-back out of necessity in the last game, also spoke: "It was difficult, the last time I played at the back was ten years ago. I watched the video of the match and I know I need to improve, but now that some injured players have recovered, we have other options, and I can return to midfield where I feel comfortable."
In terms of the standings, the Bianconeri midfielder makes no secret of his ambition: "Nine points behind Thun is a lot, but we have faith in our team. We have to take it one game at a time, without thinking about who is ahead of us."
The focus is therefore entirely on the away match at Schützenwiese, against an opponent who can be dangerous at home and who regained confidence on the last matchday. For FC Lugano, it will be an important challenge to maintain consistency in their results and stay in touch with the top of the table.
CASSANO TO UNDERGO SURGERY THIS WEEKEND
Claudio Cassano will undergo surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee this weekend in Innsbruck.
Meanwhile, the rehabilitation processes of Martim Marques, Ezgjan Alioski and Hannes Delcroix are continuing positively.
TRAVEL TO WINTERTHUR IN A MORE ECO-FRIENDLY WAY
When travelling to the Stadion Schützenwiese, Bianconeri fans can take advantage of the brand new national carpooling platform. This initiative allows fans to share their journey with other supporters, reduce emissions and enjoy the journey to the match in good company.
