Neuchâtel Xamax relaunched last weekend at Pontaise. After three defeats in a row, the Rouge et Noir managed to pocket the three points on the pitch at Stade Lausanne-Ouchy. A success acquired thanks to a superb collective action concluded by a helmet strike from Koro Kone. This victory was particularly important since Étoile Carouge was defeated by FC Wil (2-1) and Thun and Aarau were neutralized (1-1). Uli Forte’s team is therefore back in the standings and comes within two points of second place, synonymous with a play-off.
The Xamaxiens thus have a great opportunity to continue by traveling this Friday to the field of FC Stade Nyonnais, current bottom of the championship. The coach will, however, have to do without the services of Giovani Bamba who will be suspended for this match due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
As for Nyon, this first part of the season will have been particularly complicated. With 12 points on the clock in sixteen days, the Vaudois find themselves four points from the bar. The defensive sector of Christophe Caschili’s team often seemed particularly crumbly, with a total of 39 goals conceded, or an average of 2.4 goals received per game. This average is weighed down by two heavy defeats conceded in a row against Thun (1-6) and SLO (6-2). They currently remain on a series of three defeats and two draws in the last five matches (their last success was acquired in Colovray against FC Wil on October 18). They had to play their match against Vaduz this Tuesday following the incident which occurred at the very start of the match around ten days ago. Indeed, Adriano De Pierro, a former xamaxian, had received a kick in the face and collapsed to the ground without any sign of reaction. The defender had to be rushed to the hospital, thereby permanently stopping this match on the fifteenth day. The match was replayed this Tuesday evening, with a match generally dominated by Caschili’s men. However, it was the Liechtensteiners who opened the scoring in the 14th minute. The Vaudois, however, managed to equalize in the 78th minute on an autogoal from Mats Hammerich.
The club, promoted last season, has also suffered some internal turmoil in recent weeks since Stade Nyonnais general manager Varujan Symonov left his post in mid-November.
The Rouge et Noir will still have to be wary of the Vaudois, particularly Elias Pasche. The 26-year-old winger has had a very good start to the season. Twirling on his side, he has already scored 6 goals and totaled 2 assists, involving him in almost half of Nyon’s successes. This match will also be an opportunity to reunite with the former Rouge et Noir full-back, Adam Ouattara.
The Xamaxiens remain on three wins in a row against FC Stade Nyonnais. The latest was won at La Maladière, during the 8th day, with a score of 3 to 2. Touati and Demhasaj managed to reverse a difficult situation in the space of five minutes. The last match at Colovray between the two teams dates back to February and was decided by the latest xamaxian recruit Jessé Hautier, who scored twice.
