Favourite Lugano, Taverne is looking for business

Context

TL;DR

• Lugano challenge Pully on Sunday at 2pm.
• The Tavern hosts the Young Boys at 4pm.
• Four teams are already in the third round.
• Lugano and Taverne are the Ticinese still in the running.

Key facts

• Swiss → Cup Competition
• Lugano → Pully Challenge, Sunday at 2 pm
• → Young Boys Tavern Challenge, Sunday at 4pm
• Campo del Taverne → Comunale
• Ranking of Taverns → second in Group 3 of the First League
• → Second Interregional League Pully Category
• First-qualified → Stade Lausanne, St. Gallen, Servette and Basel

TAVERNS - The first knockout weekend of the Swiss Cup left two Ticino teams in the running: Lugano and Taverns. Mattia Croci-Torti's men will face the Pully on Sunday at 2 pm. The Carbone line-up, on the other hand, will host the Young Boys at 4 pm at the Comunale.

The double appointment offers two very different scenarios. Lugano comes to the confrontation after the success obtained in the debut of the Conference League and starts as an absolute favorite against Pully. The Vodese team will be able to count on enthusiasm and fans, but the technical distance from the Bianconeri is indicated as very wide. Pully plays in the Second Interregional League and, against Lugano, indicated as the strongest formation in the country at this stage, starts without the favours of the forecast.

For the Tavern the task is the opposite. The home team is second in Group 3 of the First League and will try to surprise the Young Boys, one of the nobles of national football. The goal indicated for the Ticino training is access to the round of 16, but to achieve this, an enterprise will be needed. The comparison then puts in front of a team that starts with a clear advantage in the evaluations and another call to try the surprise.

The schedules separate the two matches, but the meaning for the Ticinese is the same: to continue the path in the Swiss Cup after the first knockout weekend. Lugano seeks passage to the third round; Taverne must instead overcome one of the most emblazoned opponents in national football. The double commitment thus assigns the Bianconeri the role of favourites and the Carbon team that of possible surprise.

Operational details

The qualification picture opened with four results already decided. Stade Lausanne, St. Gallen, Servette, and Basel are the first teams to have reached the third round. Their results were as follows:

These results leave Lugano and Taverne as the only Ticino survivors from the first weekend. For the two cantonal teams, therefore, the verdict has yet to arrive. Pully is described as a Vaud side backed by enthusiasm and fans, but coming from the Second League Interregional. Taverne, on the other hand, enter as runners-up in Group 3 of the First League and face Young Boys.

The contrast between the two matchups also concerns the predictions. For Lugano, the technical level of the bianconeri makes the match largely favorable on paper. For Taverne, the challenge at the Comunale is a much sterner test, because on the other side is one of the aristocrats of national football. In both cases, however, the objective remains qualification for the third round of the Swiss Cup, the goal toward which the two remaining Ticino sides are looking.

The sequence of results already decided adds a precise reference to the day: four teams have completed their commitments with margins of two, three, or four goals, while Lugano and Taverne still have to play their respective matches. The picture of the first qualified teams is therefore already defined, but the path of the two Ticino formations remains to be decided on the pitch.

Key points

The rest of the weekend is focused on Sunday's two matches. At 2:00 PM, Lugano will face Pully. The immediate precedent is their success in their Conference League debut, a factor that accompanies Mattia Croci-Torti's team toward a match in which they are considered the absolute favorites. On the other side, there will be a team from Vaud driven by enthusiasm and fans, but seen as far from the technical level of the 'bianconeri'.

At 4:00 PM, it will be Taverne's turn at the Comunale. To advance to the round of 16, Sabbatini and his teammates must first hope that Gerardo Seoane's team takes the field without maximum determination and focus. This possibility must be followed by a classic perfect performance from the home side. These are the necessary steps to try and overcome one of the elite clubs of national football.

The chances of success for Taverne are described as low, but not zero. The possibility remains open because, in the recent past, the team has already shown several times that it can surprise. The difficulty of the challenge remains high and depends on the ability to exploit any potential lack of motivation from Young Boys and to deliver the perfect match required of the Ticino team.

For the two Ticino teams, the schedule leads to a different verdict to be built on the pitch. Lugano aims for the third round starting from a position of clear advantage; Taverne, on the other hand, is looking for a performance that can turn a slim chance into qualification. Sunday's matches at 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM will be the next step in their Swiss Cup journey.

Source: tio.ch