Eleven players are out: FCB has to travel to Ticino with a skeleton team

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As if the table situation wasn’t awkward enough, a staff shortage broke out at FC Basel before the away match against Lugano. In Ticino, coach Fabio Celestini (48) will have to do without at least eleven players on Tuesday.

In the 2-2 draw against FC Zurich, another regular, Renato Veiga (20), added to the already long injury list. There are also the two yellow-suspended Leon Avdullahu (20) and Thierno Barry (21) and possibly also the injured Benjamin Kololli (31), whose appearance is a question mark.

FCB is missing four strikers

Barry’s loss is particularly serious. Basel’s top scorer was one of the few convincing FCB players in the classic and provided the assist for both goals. In any case, the striker has actually become indispensable for Bebbi’s attacking game in recent weeks. Because there is little to play, long balls to the 1.95 meter long pants are often the only recipe to build the game.

The fact that three strikers, Djordje Jovanovic (25), Albian Ajeti (27) and Andrin Hunziker (21), are already injured makes Barry’s forced break all the more annoying. Celestini will probably have to rely on one of the weak attackers Maurice Malone (23) or Jean-Kévin Augustin (26) against Lugano.

Croci-Torti speaks of the championship title

Unlike Barry and Avdullahu, who will only miss the match against Lugano, Renato Veiga will likely be out for longer. Fifteen minutes into the classic, the Portuguese got his foot stuck in the grass and had to leave the field injured. “It didn’t look that good,” Celestini said of the midfielder’s injury. An MRI scan will be made on Tuesday to clarify the situation.

Despite the major loss, Celestini is counting on something for the guest appearance in the Cornaredo. He takes hope from his team’s performance against Lucerne in mid-December. “At that time we were missing thirteen players and we won 1-0,” said the FCB coach.

But a tough task awaits the Basel team in Ticino. Lugano coach Mattia Croci-Torti (41) even called for an attack on the championship title in the RSI studio on Sunday evening. “If YB and Servette make mistakes, we have to show that we are there,” said Croci-Torti. The Bianconeri are now just six points behind leaders YB in the table and could pile on the pressure further with a win over Basel Lazarett.

Source : Blick