Aiming to bounce back following their worst season this century, Basel will commence their 2024-25 Swiss Super League schedule with a trip to face Lausanne Sport at Stade de la Tuiliere on Sunday afternoon.
The Blue and Whites are looking to secure safety in the top flight once again this season, whilst RotBlau will be desperate to compete at the top of the division after two years of struggling.
Match preview
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After finishing second in the Swiss Challenger League during the 2022-23 term and earning automatic promotion to the top flight, Lausanne Sport achieved their primary goal last term, steering clear of relegation trouble in the Super League and securing another year amongst Switzerland's elite clubs.
Despite placing 10th, just a single spot ahead of 11th-placed Grasshopper Zurich who had to navigate the relegation playoff, the Blue and Whites enjoyed a relatively stress-free conclusion to the term, with Sunday's hosts finishing seven points ahead of the bottom two.
Set to line up against his former employers Basel this weekend, Kaly Sene was a major factor in Lausanne's ability to avoid the drop during the 2023-24 season, with the 23-year-old striker finding the net on 12 occasions in the Super League, twice as many as any of his teammates.
Assuming managerial control of the club in May 2022, Ludovic Magnin has successfully guided the Blue and Whites to the summit of the Austrian game and kept them at that level for at least two years, with the 45-year-old set to coach his 81st competitive match for the team this weekend.
Lausanne have endured some tough pre-season tests ahead of their campaign opener at Stade de la Tuiliere on Sunday afternoon, with the hosts losing 3-1 to Portuguese giants Braga before picking up a respectable draw against Ligue 1 outfit Nice at the beginning of July.
For the first time this century - and the first time since the Swiss top division was reformatted into the Super League - Basel finished outside the top five during the 2023-24 campaign, languishing down in eighth place, behind the likes of Winterthur and Luzern.
Following eight straight Super League titles between 2011 and 2017, RotBlau have suffered a serious downturn in fortunes as Young Boys have taken over as the dominant force in club football, meaning that Sunday's visitors to Lausanne are overdue a title by their own high standards.
Stabilising a free-falling Basel side since joining in October 2023, Fabio Celestini will begin his first full season in charge of the Swiss giants on Sunday afternoon, with the 48-year-old losing just eight of his 29 matches in charges to date, providing plenty of optimism for supporters.
Despite considerable anguish over results last campaign, there are reasons for fans to look forward to the 2024-25 term, none more significant than the emergence of young duo Thierno Barry and Anton Kade, who are both remaining at the club after bagging nine and five goals respectively during 2023-24.
Contrasting with the relative sizes of the two clubs, Lausanne have a brilliant recent record against Basel will be looking to make it five games unbeaten against RotBlau with a positive result on Sunday.
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Team News
Lausanne are without the services of 23-year-old Trae Coyle, who is still recovering from a serious cruciate ligament injury suffered in January.
The Blue and Whites could hand a number of summer arrivals their first competitive starts of the new season, including midfielder Manuel Polster and centre-back Kevin Mouanga.
The hosts have also significantly bolstered their forward line ahead of the fresh term, signing Teddy Okou and Alban Ajdini from other clubs in Switzerland.
Basel announced the signing of right-winger Marin Soticek on Friday, and it remains to be seen whether the Croatian is available for this weekend.
Other players in line to make their fresh debuts for RotBlau include Leo Leroy and Kevin Ruegg, arriving from Ligue 1 and Serie A respectively.
Lausanne Sport possible starting lineup:
Castella; Ajdini, Roche, Parra, Polster; Sow, Carraco, Abedljaoued, Ndiaye; Ngonzo, Labeau
Basel possible starting lineup:
Hitz; Comas, Adjetey, Van Breeman; Ruegg, Avdullahu, Frei, Kade; Kololli, Ajeti, Barry
We say: Lausanne Sport 1-1 Basel
With the two sides relatively even in terms of league position last term, we are expecting a tight contest between Lausanne and Basel this weekend.
RotBlau will be desperate for a winning start to begin their ascent back towards the top of the Super League, but we feel that they will have to settle for a point on the road.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
