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The wild final phase between Basel and Zurich provoked so many reactions that it was almost forgotten how much this 2-0 defeat could hurt Basel in the battle for Europe.
FC Basel earned almost eleven million francs thanks to its strong Conference League campaign. To repeat this, FC Basel must be at least fourth in the final sprint of the league (if Lugano falls out of the top 4 and wins the cup final against YB – otherwise 5th place will suffice), but the goal for the season is actually place 2. Whether FCB can gather enough power to make the necessary final sprint? The suspensions against Taulant Xhaka (8 games), for whom the competition season is over, Wouter Burger (2 games), Kasim Adams (3 games) and coach Heiko Vogel (1 game) certainly don’t help.
Three undisputed regular players will be missing
Xhaka, who has already apologized after his headbutt, will miss eight games for FCB. But above all, he proved how important he is to his team. In 20 league games with the aggressive leader, FCB has averaged 1.65 points, without him it is 0.75. Even worse, Basel could only win one of nine games without Xhaka.
Wouter Burger has not been used in only four championship games so far. He has already been suspended in three games. Each time one was lost. Only once, when Burger rested voluntarily, was Basel able to succeed without him. Only Andy Diouf has more playing time in central midfield.
And without Adams, FCB is still waiting for a league victory. The loan from Hoffenheim is not always completely convincing, but has proven itself defensively. Of all FCB field players, only Andy Pelmard played more minutes. Like Burger, Adams has missed four league games so far – and Basel only gets two points from that.
Three direct duels for Europe or internationally
The statistics show: Basel will miss the exiles. In addition, injured alternatives are no longer available after an exhausting season. A replacement for Adams? There isn’t any. Arnau Comas, Andy Pelmard and Fabian Frei were recently injured. At the back, three trained wing defenders, Lang and Lopez, defended against FCZ. On the couch was 15-year-old Marvin Akahomen.
Fabian Frei would also be a possible replacement for Taulant Xhaka and Wouter Burger. After all, they have a fit midfield replacement in Emmanuel Essiam, who recently could only hint at his potential, but can now really prove it. And with Diouf, the nominally best midfielder is available.
Nevertheless, suspended from the sidelines for the game in St. Gallen, Vogel will have to improvise on his next league line-up. Basel will therefore hardly be a favorite in the European duels against Lugano, Servette and GC. Also because winning the title in the Conference League beckons.
If Basel gets this trophy, international affairs will also be secured. Xhaka and Co. can also be used in the Conference League.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
