Lugano and Basel will battle for three points in a Swiss Super League Championship group fixture on Saturday (May 10th). The game will be played at Stadio di Cornaredo.
The home side are coming into the game on the back of a 2-0 away win over Luzern. Mattia Bottani broke the deadlock in the 12th minute while Georgios Koutsias made sure of the result in injury time after their hosts were reduced to 10 men.
Basel, meanwhile, thrashed Servette 5-1 at home. Xherdan Shaqiri continued his fine form since his return to his hometown club, breaking the deadlock in the 28th minute before providing a further three assists. Albian Ajeti scored a brace while Benie Traore and Nicolas Vouilloz scored a goal each in the second half.
The win left the Rotblau at the summit of the standings, having garnered 64 points from 34 games. Lugano are fourth on 52 points.
Lugano are barely holding onto fourth place and the final continental spot with four games to go. They have a one-point advantage over fifth-placed Luzern and are two points ahead of Lausanne in sixth place in the race for UEFA Conference League qualification.
Basel are champions-in-waiting and barring a spectacular implosion, should end their eight-year wait for league glory. Their charge has been led by the returning Xherdan Shaqiri, who has been on fire in the final stage of the campaign. Fabio Cestini's side hold a nine-point advantage at the summit and need just four points from the final four games, while their vastly superior goal difference means that three points could effectively be enough.
We are backing the visitors to claim a narrow win with goals at both ends.
Prediction: Lugano 1-2 Basel
Tip 1 - Basel to win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score
Tip 3 - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 4 - Over 8.5 corner kicks