FC Basel face FC Courtételle in the Cup

FC Basel face FC Courtételle in the Cup on Saturday. Despite the big Barça hype, Stephan Lichtsteiner's focus is on the Cup game in Courtételle. The coach emphasizes that the league game has the higher priority.

Cup games are a good test for character

Objectively, the game against the smaller opponent is of greater importance for FC Basel. In the Cup, the Baslers want to play for the title. Therefore, the coach makes it clear in advance: «The main focus is on Saturday.» From the start, one wants to be on the pitch with the best possible team.

Léo Leroy leaves FC Basel

Just a day before these two games, the FC Basel squad is a bit thinner. As the club announced on Friday, midfielder Léo Leroy is leaving the club after two years to join Preston North End. «As a coach, Léo is a big loss», says Stephan Lichtsteiner about this transfer. He describes the 26-year-old as «a calm leader» and «an outstanding role model».

What's next?

The game at St. Jakob-Park is sold out. Accordingly, Stephan Lichtsteiner also explains: «This is a mega cool event for the city and a great honor for us.» At the same time, the 42-year-old coach emphasizes that Cup games - like the one the day before - are «an enormous good test for character». The game against FC Courtételle starts on Saturday at 16:00.

FC Basel: Numbers and Facts

FC Basel currently occupies 5th place in the Super League with 6 points from 3 games. The team has scored 5 goals and conceded 3. In the title race, FC Basel is 3 points behind the leaders FC Lugano. The next game takes place on September 20 against FC St. Gallen.

Bild: Stephan Lichtsteiner before the game against FC Courtételle

A picture shows Stephan Lichtsteiner, the coach of FC Basel, before the game against FC Courtételle. He wears a red jersey with yellow stripes and stands in front of a background with a large picture of St. Jakob-Park. The camera is an 85mm lens with a aperture of f/1.4 and a shallow depth of field. The light source is a strong floodlight that highlights the facial features of Stephan Lichtsteiner.