- Team form: Both teams have scored in Basel’s recent matches and in several of Sion’s recent games.
- Coach Basel: Basel’s coach, Stephan Lichtsteiner, has been in the job since January and has introduced a more structured, disciplined and high-intensity style of play.
- Coach Sion: Sion’s coach, Didier Tholot, has set up his team in a more compact, cautious 4-man back line to stop teams dominating them and has given the team a fresh surge in form.
A championship group showdown
Table position and recent form
FC Basel are 4th in the Swiss Super League Championship Group on 53 points, one point ahead of 5th-placed FC Sion Sitten in the Championship Group. The visitors have a much better recent form and have a chance to spring an upset in Basel on Sunday.
Odds and recent meetings
The bookies have Sion as slight favorites at 2.58, Basel at 2.43 and Draw at 3.66, which seems about right given the hosts have dominated the last 10 meetings in all competitions, winning five of them. However, Sion did pull off a 2-0 upset in this fixture back in February 2026.
Matchday expectations
St. Jakob-Park will be rocking on Sunday afternoon with a huge crowd in for this game and mild, sunny weather should combine with Basel’s attacking style to ensure a fast-paced and open game.
Basel’s style and personnel
Lichtsteiner brings a much more structured and disciplined approach to Basel after a season of transition. His team play a flexible 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 system and like to press high, recover the ball and play it wide and fast.
He has had the team pressing opponents and transitioning quickly to their own offensive game, but a few recent games have shown that there is a vulnerability about Basel that Sion could exploit. Shaqiri is Basel’s top scorer and creative engine, returning to play in March after injury, but Basel have not been as potent in recent weeks. Marwin Hitz provides experience in goal, but a few high-scoring games have exposed some weaknesses in the back four.
Sion will make a game of it
Style, form and threats
Sion are a more pragmatic, compact team with a strong back four that sits deep and waits for counter-attacking opportunities, either on the break or from set pieces. They have enjoyed their best run of the season in recent months, going unbeaten in their last five league matches (Won 3, Drawn 2) after back-to-back away wins in April.
- Rilind Nivokazi is Sion’s main man and double-digit scorer, a threat in transition and in the box, but they also have pace and creativity in Ilyas Chouaref and Winsley Boteli.
- Kololli comes off the bench late to score goals and provide set-piece danger.
Market view and prediction
Both teams to score - Yes is heavily favored at 1.45 in this market and we think it is worth a bet as both clubs have been finding the net regularly in the home and away games of late. This match will be a test of Basel’s new era under Lichtsteiner and a chance for Sion to prove that they are not just having a late-season surge under Tholot.
The game should be close and intense and both sides are separated by a single point, so every goal will count. The majority of analysts are going for a narrow win for the hosts, but given Sion’s form, the fact that Basel have been more likely to concede than they did before, we are going for a draw here.
