St Gallen vs Basel Prediction: Bet on goal in this clash

Saturday marks the beginning of the 2023-24 Swiss Super League season for St. Gallen, as the club will play host to Basel at the Kybunpark. The home team finished last season in the Swiss top division with a record that was not entirely satisfying and came up just short of qualifying for European competition for the second season in a row.

St Gallen - hoping to start on a strong note

As a result of St. Gallen losing out on a European spot to FCB in the previous season, Espen will be more motivated to play well in their league start against Basel. When the football season was all said and done in 2022–23, St. Gallen was two points short of making the cut for Europe.

Despite going winless in their first two tune-up games for the new term, this team has appeared to be in good shape during the pre-season. St. Gallen had a very active offseason, playing a total of six friendlies. They began with a victory over Schaffhausen by a score of 2-1, and they concluded with a thrashing of Villarreal by a score of 6-1.

After missing the final two months of the previous season, Stefano Guidotti has rejoined the team, albeit he will likely be limited to a substitute role. Betim Fazliji, who joined the hosts in the summer, should start in the middle of the field for his first game. Richard van der Venne, Mattia Zanotti, and Abdoulaye Diaby, are also in the running to start.

Basel - back to challenge for the title

Basel struggled through an extremely disappointing season, which ultimately led to the firing of head coach Alex Frei back in February. They concluded the previous season with their lowest point total in over two decades.

The visiting team won their final preseason match against Old Boys by a score of 3-0, and they will be hoping that they can maintain their current form into the regular season. After what was ultimately a dismal year for Basel, they are looking to get off to a strong start this time around as they pursue a 21st domestic title and their first since the 2016-17 season.

Andy Diouf and Zeki Amdouni are no longer with Basel since both players were recently sold to Lens and Burnley, respectively. Jonathan Dubasin, Finn van Breemen, and Thierno Barry all joined the club over the summer and are candidates to make their debuts in a competitive game this coming Saturday.

Possible starting lineups

St Gallen: Ati-Zigi(GK), Zanotti, Vallci, Diaby, Schmidt, Gortler, Fazliji, Quintilla, Witzig, Moos, Geubbels.

Basel: Hitz(GK), Lopez, Van Breemen, Comas, Calafiori, Burger, Frei, Ndoye, Augustin, Dubasin, Barry.

Expert Betting Tips

St. Gallen went four games without losing at the end of the last season, and they will try to capitalise in this clash. They've won their last two difficult home games and hope to keep the winning trend alive. Their performances in the preseason have been equally impressive. Basel are hoping to restore some of their old grandeur by winning this match. I predict a high-scoring game with goals from both sides.