Foda is still without a win as FCZ coach

Marketing is everything! Commercialisation now has a firm grip on football, which can be seen in countless examples. Qualifying for the UEFA Europa League is one such example, with the third qualifying round on the agenda this Thursday. Mind you, there was no match at all in either the first or second round.

For participation in the Europa League group stage, two rounds still have to be survived. At least the first knockout duel should not be a stumbling block for the Swiss champions. In Northern Ireland, Linfield and FC Zurich will face each other on Thursday.

For both teams, the Europa League is merely a consolation prize, because as current title holders in their home countries, both clubs started in the top flight. There, however, they had to bury their dream of the Million League last week. Now it’s down to the next level and FC Zurich are the clear favourites in this knockout duel. Despite the away game, only odds of 1.50 are offered for the visitors between Linfield and FC Zurich on Thursday.

The Northern Irish champions are much weaker than FCZ, but a few doubts are allowed, because under the new coach Franco Foda, things are not yet going according to plan in the banking city of Zurich. Will FCZ succeed in winning their first competitive match in 2022/23?

Linfield – Statistics & current form

Likely few football fans know that Linfield Football Club has an entry in the history books. No other team in the world has collected more national championships than the team from Belfast. Northern Irish club football is not necessarily known for enormous quality and the performance gap in the top division is sometimes enormous. Linfield are virtually without competition and have won 56 championships and 44 cups in a history stretching back well over 100 years.

Last season, however, the title fight was a tough one, as head coach David Healy’s team (in charge since 2015) had only a one-point lead over Cliftonville after 33 completed games in the basic round and five games in the championship group. It was the fourth championship in a row for the Blues.

Dismantling in Norway

With this collection of titles, Linfield has been represented internationally year after year, but the successes have been extremely rare. This season, they first defeated Welsh champions TNS – The New Saints – in extra time before a sensational 1-0 win at home to Bodo/Glimt. A victory that resulted from the Northern Irish being completely underestimated. Last week Linfield experienced one of the most bitter evenings in recent history.

Instead of the historic success against the Norwegians, who were convincing in the Conference League last year, the return match on the artificial turf went as if on a slippery slope. In the end, the Northern Irish slid to a heavy 8-0 defeat. In their 133rd international competitive match, Linfield conceded defeat number 72 and have conceded no less than 238 goals.

The first leg win against Bodo/Glimt showed that the Northern Irish are quite competitive at home, yet between Linfield and FC Zurich, a tip towards the hosts is not an option. The heavy defeat must first be put out of their minds, and Linfield are also missing top striker Christy Manzinga compared to last year. FCZ can certainly be rated two classes higher.

Predicted Linfield line-up:
Johns – Clarke, Roscoe, Hall, Finlayson – Shields, Mulgrew – Stewart, Fallon, Pepper – McDaid

Last matches played by Linfield:

Champions League Qualifier
27/07/2022 – Bodö/Glimt 8 – 0 Linfield FC

20/07/2022 – Linfield FC 1 – 0 Bodö/Glimt

14/07/2022 – Linfield FC 2 – 0 The New Saints FC

06/07/2022 – The New Saints FC 1 – 0 Linfield FC

Friendly club matches
02/07/2022 – Linfield FC 1 – 2 St Mirren

FC Zurich – Statistics & current form

Twelve months ago, anyone would probably have been declared crazy if they had tipped FC Zurich as champions for the 2021/22 season. In recent years, the traditional club from Zurich was far away from the top and struggled more to stay in the league than to win the championship. But under Andre Breitenreiter, the team played itself into a real frenzy, was extremely efficient in converting scoring chances and benefited from unusual slip-ups by the competition from Basel and Bern. The 13th championship in the club’s history was more than just deserved.

The success aroused desires and Andre Breitenreiter went back to his German home (TSG Hoffenheim) and players like top striker Assan Ceesay were also looking for a new challenge. After FCZ certainly operated above realistic possibilities last year and now lost a lot more quality, a repeat of the success is hardly imaginable.

First win for Franco Foda?

This year, the critics should also be proved right, because even at this early stage of the season, gloom reigns. Not much is left of the championship euphoria, because things are not going according to plan under new head coach Franco Foda. In any case, the former Austrian national coach is a commitment that must be critically questioned. Foda is a coach who places a lot of emphasis on discipline and a stable defence. These basic virtues did not distinguish FCZ on the way to the 2021/22 championship.

In fact, FCZ is also unrecognisable so far compared to last year. Three league games have already been played in the Swiss championship, and not only do they have zero wins to their credit, but the defending champions have not even scored a goal so far. With a goal difference of 0:6 and only one draw (against FC Luzern), Franco Foda’s team is at the bottom of the table.

In addition, they suffered a bitter defeat against Qarabag Agdam in the Champions League qualifiers. As a result, the Swiss still have to tremble about their participation in an international group phase. In a worst-case scenario, they could even miss out on the Conference League. The pressure is gradually mounting and FC Zurich will have to deliver in the away game to bring some peace.

The current form is certainly not in favour of the visitors, but Franco Foda cannot afford to take a risk by rotating that the sixth competitive match in his FCZ era will also end without success. The Swiss are considered clear favourites despite their poor form, between Linfield and FC Zurich a tip on the away win is recommended.

Predicted line-up of FC Zurich:
Brecher – Guerrero, Mets, Omeragic, Boranijasevic – Seiler, Hornschuh – Okita, Krasniqi, Gnonto – Tosin

Last matches played by FC Zurich:

Super League
30/07/2022 – FC St. Gallen 2 – 0 FC Zurich

Champions League Qualification
27/07/2022 – FC Zurich 2 – 2 Qarabag FK

Super League
23/07/2022 – FC Zurich 0 – 0 FC Lucerne

Champions League Qualification
19/07/2022 – Qarabag FK 3 – 2 FC Zurich

Super League
16/07/2022 – BSC Young Boys 4 – 0 FC Zurich

Linfield – FC Zurich Direct comparison / H2H-balance

There has not yet been a duel between the two teams, but the database spits out at least one knockout duel between Linfield and a Swiss team. For this, however, one has to look far back, because in the 1985/86 season the Northern Irish fought against Servette Geneva and had to cope with elimination in the then Cup of the National Champions with an aggregate score of 3:4. For the Swiss champions, Thursday’s clash will be their first competitive game against a Northern Irish side.

Linfield – FC Zurich tip

The winner of this knockout clash will face Hearts of Midlothian from Scotland in the final qualifying round, where they would at least be in the Conference League group stage if eliminated. Although the Swiss champions have disappointed all along the line so far, the winner in this knockout duel can basically only be the Foda eleven. The difference in quality is enormous and cannot be denied.

The visitors from Switzerland are already feeling a lot of pressure at this early stage of the season and must finally deliver. Foda will have to get away from his defensive football, after all, he has a lot of quality to offer on the offensive with Gnonto, Tosin or newcomer Santini.

The Northern Irish defence can also easily fall apart, as was seen last week. Instead of just betting on a win for the Swiss, the prediction for a handicap win between Linfield and FC Zurich is therefore also being considered with odds of up to 2.38