Read our prediction for St. Gallen vs Zurich below. This preview was written by a sport journalist who is specialised in betting tips and predictions. Use our betting tips for the match between St. Gallen vs Zurich and you can increase your winnings!
St. Gallen vs Zurich Prediction & Betting tips
A surprise is looming in the Swiss Super League. Although before the season there was really only discussion about who will be ahead in the duel between the Young Boys from Bern and FC Basel this year, a third contender has emerged with FC St. Gallen. The team of German trainer Peter Zeidler has been playing a strong season so far and is the leader of the classification.
The Espen could also become the big winner on matchday 25, as the previously tied defending champion BSC Young Boys unexpectedly drew 0-1 on Tuesday night in Thun. Thus, the green-whites have the chance to distance the Seoane-Elf to three points. A prerequisite is a home success of your own on Thursday evening. Before the St. Gallen duel against FC Zurich, the odds of the best bookmakers illustrate the favorite role of the hosts.
However, the leader should not take the encounter against FCZ lightly, especially since the team of former Bundesliga professional Ludovic Magnin was able to win both previous duels in the current season. Among other things, the blue-whites won 3-1 in Kybunpark shortly before Christmas. For this reason, it can sometimes be advisable to shortlist a tip on the underdog between St. Gallen and FC Zurich.
In fact, we trust the guests, who are sixth in the no man’s land of the table and can therefore play freely, a surprise. Already at the weekend, the Zurich team presented themselves as an extremely uncomfortable opponent in the narrow 2: 3 loss to the Young Boys during the re-start. So why should the twelve-time master not be able to take something countable from Eastern Switzerland?
St. Gallen :
6, 5, 7, 7, 6, 7, 3 – this is how FC St. Gallen’s final rankings in the highest Swiss football league have been based on their return to the 2012/2013 season. With the exception of the comeback season, which the Espen ended as an excellent third under Jeff Saibene, who is well known in Germany, the green-whites were more of an inventory in the lower region of the table.
It is all the more sensational that the oldest, still existing football club in the Alpine Republic is currently on the verge of bringing the first championship since 2000 to Eastern Switzerland. Admittedly, with twelve games to go, there is still an extremely long way ahead of FC, but if the Zeidler team is as constant as in the season so far, everything seems possible.
The re-start after the long forced break was also successful for the Espen. The leader at FC Sion prevailed with 2-1. Cedric Itten became the match winner, who scored both goals. The 23-year-old is also the one who leads the internal list of goalscorers with eleven goals. It is the figurehead of the best offensive in the country, which, however, did not get off to a rolling start after the winter break as it did in autumn.
In general, the question must be asked whether Peter Zeidler’s protégés are experienced enough to preserve the top level to the end. We think it is not out of the question that the green-whites collapse a little and in the end the Young Boys or even FC Basel again win the title. This is supported by the fact that the playing style of the aspens is based on a very large effort against the ball and is therefore quite exhausting. In view of the numerous English weeks, this could turn out to be problematic.
It should also make you think that the eastern Swiss are far from immune from slips. The mere fact that the league leader has already suffered six losses in 24 games over the entire season and thus lost every fourth game, leads us to allude to a tip on the double chance X / 2 between St. Gallen and FC Zurich. After all, the Zurich company was responsible for two of the six Sankt Gallen bankruptcies.
In central defense, coach Zeidler, who once served as an assistant coach at TSG Hoffenheim and was under contract as a head coach at RB Salzburg, will definitely have to rebuild. As the only 21-year-old Betim Fazliji saw his fifth yellow card, veteran Vilotic could get a probation chance. In general, there is a large shortage of personnel on the defensive front. Four defenders are injured, which before the match St. Gallen vs. FC Zurich should also be considered for the forecast.
FC Zurich:
Where is FC Zürich heading this season? The blue and white are currently sixth in the gray mediocrity. The gap to the European Cup places, which amounts to eight points, and the ten-point cushion in ninth place also imply a pure average.
Even if the multiple Swiss champion is surely flirting with a small run and possibly the Europa League, the men of Ludovic Magnin also have to set other goals to keep the tension high. One example could be to annoy the top teams in the Super League. Over the course of the season so far, this has been done very impressively.
As already mentioned, the FCZ has a maximum yield of six points from the two matches against St. Gallen. FC Basel has also been beaten. In addition, the good away game at the weekend at the Young Boys in Bern underlined the thesis that the Magnin team likes to compete against teams of higher quality. Although last year’s seventh in the capital ultimately went away empty-handed, the performance at 2: 3 was more than decent.
Another argument that shows why the odds on home win between St. Gallen and FC Zurich are too low to dust off an attractive value is Zurich’s solid away record. Four wins face three draws and five losses. In five of the twelve guest appearances, the blues and whites remained without conceding a goal. Do the aspens bite their teeth on Thursday evening?
Personnel also looks good for the guests. Only the failure of creative player Mimoun Mahi, who is still lagging behind, weighs extremely heavily. Added to this is Thursday’s lack of central defender Kryeziu, who has to serve a yellow card suspension. Otherwise Ludovic Magnin can draw from the full. Changes in the starting eleven cannot be ruled out after the intense match with the defending champion.
St. Gallen vs Zurich head to head matches
14.12.19 SL St. Gallen Zurich 1 : 3
14.08.19 SL Zurich St. Gallen 2 : 1
25.05.19 SL Zurich St. Gallen 1 : 1
06.02.19 SL St. Gallen Zurich 3 : 1
28.10.18 SL St. Gallen Zurich 3 : 2