Staring down the barrel of relegation from the Swiss Super League, FC Winterthur will welcome Sion to Stadion Schutzenwiese on Thursday.
FCW will be desperate to avoid defeat this weekend considering the slim margins at the bottom of the table, while Les Sedunois will be looking for back-to-back wins.
Match preview
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Uli Forte's Winterthur find themselves in a precarious position on the final matchday of the league season, but with five wins, two draws and just one loss from their last eight games, they have a fighting chance at survival.
On Saturday, FCW followed up a 4-1 thrashing on the road to Zurich with a disappointing 2-2 draw against last-placed Yverdon Sport, though the manager will be grateful to have walked away with a point courtesy of Fabian Frei's 96th-minute equaliser.
That stalemate kept Forte's side fourth in the division's relegation group with 37 points, one ahead of Grasshoppers, who currently occupy the demotion playoff spot, as well as last weekend's opponents.
As they battle to hold on to their top-flight status on Thursday, the hosts will take confidence from the fact that they have lost just one of their seven most recent games at Stadion Schutzenwiese, though having been beaten twice by the visitors this season, they will be wary.
Should Winterthur take all three points on matchday 38, then they will guarantee another campaign in the Swiss Super League, but anything other than victory opens the door for their relegation rivals to leapfrog them should either club manage to win their own final-day fixtures.
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Meanwhile, Didier Tholot's Sion are on a four-game unbeaten streak heading into this clash, and they will be keen to end 2024-25 on a strong note despite not making the European places this term.
Last time out, Les Sedunois triumphed 2-1 over Grasshoppers at Stade de Tourbillon thanks to a brace from Benjamin Kololli, though the boss will be disappointed that his team surrendered their clean sheet by conceding a last-gasp consolation goal.
Tholots's men remain in third place in the league's relegation round after their 11th win of the season brought them to 44 points, a comfortable eight above GCZ and Yverdon Sport in the drop zone.
That being said, Thursday's visitors have been disastrous away from home in 2025, and given their shocking travelling record that does not feature a single victory on the road this year, their hopes of making it three wins from four against Winterthur seem unrealistic.
However, should Sion defy their form and earn a rare three points on their trip this week, then they could put their opponents at serious risk, even if Les Sedunois are unable to move up the table themselves.
Team News
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Winterthur will be without midfielder Alexandre Jankewitz this week due to a suspension he picked up for accumulating yellow cards, and Stephane Cueni could join Randy Schneider in the centre of the park in his absence.
In the forward line, striker Nishan Burkart should be supported by Dario Ulrich and Josias Lukembila, with Matteo Di Gusto operating just behind them.
As for Sion, striker Dejan Sorgic was taken off with an injury early on against Grasshoppers and is unlikely to feature on Thursday as a result, so expect to see Mohssine Bourika start in his stead.
Out wide, Anton Mirachuk will be joined by Benjamin Kololli, who will be looking to score in back-to-back matches after his double last time out, while full-backs Numa Lavanchy and Federico Barba should offer overlapping runs.
Elsewhere, centre-backs Noe Sow and Kreshnik Hajrizi will be hoping to keep out a desperate Winterthur side, and the duo will be protecting Timothy Fayulu between the sticks.
FC Winterthur possible starting lineup:
Kapino; Sahitaj, Arnold, Luthi, Sidler; Cueni, Schneider; Ulrich, Giusto, Lukembila; Burkart
Sion possible starting lineup:
Fayulu; Lavanchy, Hajrizi, Sow, Barba; Kabacalman, Chouaref, Baltazar; Kololli, Bourika, Miranchuk
We say: FC Winterthur 1-0 Sion
Despite their league position, Winterthur were in strong form prior to their last two games, and they will be confident of getting the job done this week.
Additionally, Sion have been particularly poor on the road this year, and they are unlikely to walk away with anything from this game.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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