FC Winterthur play host to Luzern in the opening gameweek of the Swiss Super League encounter to be held at Schutzenwiese on Saturday.
FCW narrowly avoided relegation last season, while the visitors ended in the European qualification places by finishing fourth.
Match preview
Winterthur must be thanking their lucky stars to still be a top-flight side after the previous campaign's relegation battle with Sion.
The bottom-placed side lost their relegation playoff double-header with Lausanne-Ouchy, a fate that could have befallen the second-bottom club.
Bruno Berner has since departed the club for Grasshopper, and his replacement — Patrick Rahmen — would hope to avoid the nightmarish performances and results from the 2022-23 season.
FCW were beaten in nine of their final 11 games last term but have underlined their ambition by securing impressive results in the off-season, racking up five consecutive wins, with the latest being a 3-1 triumph over Villarreal II.
It remains to be seen if the lowly quality of the opposition has brought false hope to Winterthur, but Rahmen's team have momentum heading into their season opener.
As for Luzern, the drop-off in the closing weeks of the season meant they settled for a Europa Conference League qualification place than a Europa League or Champions League playoff round.
They still have to navigate tricky ties before confirming their place in Europe's third-tier club competition, but it could have been different had Mario Frick's men won more than once in their concluding six games.
Pre-season has brought a return to form, with four consecutive triumphs over Aarau, Rheindorf Altach, Schaffhausen and Excelsior, indicating Die Leuchten's readiness for the 23-24 campaign.
Interestingly, Luzern travelled commendably last season, picking up 28 points on their travels in the division — a joint-high with Young Boys, who claimed one fewer road win — perhaps giving the Conference League hopefuls the edge on Saturday.
Undoubtedly favourites for the game, the away side could record a statement win to banish the blues at the backend of last season.
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Team News
Roman Buess was in admirable form throughout the pre-season, scoring three times, and he will be at the heart of anything good in Winterthur's attack at the weekend.
Granit Lekaj and Jozef Pukaj missed several months of last season, and both players are doubtful for the opening gameweek of 2023-24.
Matteo Di Giusto is unlikely to be rushed back after representing Switzerland at the Under-21 European Championship.
Lars Villiger was in fine form in Luzern's tune-up friendlies, netting a brace in the 2-0 triumph over Altach and netting in the 3-0 success over Schaffhausen, forcing the towering frontman into the lineup on the opening gameweek.
Max Meyer found the back of the net on 10 occasions last season and assisted six goals, giving the visitors a match-winning threat from the middle of the park.
FC Winterthur possible starting lineup:
Kuster; Goncalves, Schmid, Gelmi, Diaby; Ramizi, Corbaz; Rodriguez, Burkart; Buess, Ballete
Luzern possible starting lineup:
Vasic; Ottiger, Burch, Beka, Frydek; Meyer, Jashari, Beloko; Dorn, Villiger, Chader
We say: FC Winterthur 1-3 Luzern
Luzern have dominated recent meetings between the clubs, winning three of the last four (one draw) Super League meetings, and another triumph could be in the offing on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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