The knockout phase of the Champions League begins Tuesday evening with the first legs of the round of 16 with 4 Swiss clubs. And above all a Lake Geneva derby in Lausanne.
Title holders, Geneva qualified by the hairs for these round of 16, unlike an LHC which finished the league phase in 3rd place. Finally, the European Cup resembles the National League championship with the Vaudois at the top (2nd) and the Genevans at the bottom (12th).
The first international break therefore came at the right time for Jan Cadieux and his troupe. For the moment, the first two Lake Geneva derbies in the championship have gone to the advantage of the Lions (2-1 and 3-2). And the LHC can rely on a numerical advantage which is running at full speed with almost 34% success. Fortunately for them, the Eagles are not bad in this exercise with a success rate of 28.57%.
Friborg an outsider, Zurich a favorite
Friborg travels to Sweden to challenge the Växjö Lakers. After 16 championship matches, the Lakers occupy 6th place. And they have often stood up to Swiss clubs in the European Cup in the past. In Fribourg, we hope to be able to really launch the season after the national teams’ break. Because the Dragons have suffered 4 defeats in their last 5 league matches.
As for Zurich, the Straubing obstacle should logically be removed. 2 months ago, the Zurich residents won their duel 3-2 against the current 7th in DEL. A defeat for the reigning Swiss champion would be surprising, but the Germans have the means to create a surprise.
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Swiss
