Nobody doubts that FC Zurich will be promoted again after a year in the Challenge League. The only question is when the return to the top flight will be mathematically certain.
Neuchâtel Xamax is stubbornly breathing down FCZ's neck. Thanks to the 1:0 win at home against Servette on Sunday, the gap is still nine points. However, these nine points are a big cushion. Experts and fans agree that it is too big a cushion to prevent the Zurich team from being promoted. There are only four rounds left to play.
The only question is: when can FCZ officially pop the champagne corks? The fixture list is favorable for the Zurich fans. Two home games are next on the program. On Wednesday, Servette Geneva come to the Letzigrund and on Saturday, the Zurich team will face FC Wil.
A win against Servette would still not mean definitive promotion. However, nobody expects the Zurich side to go down to defeat in their last three games, while Xamax, for their part, record three very big wins.
There could only be a small drop of bitterness for coach Uli Forte's team if FCZ beat Servette on Wednesday and Xamax drop points against Schaffhausen on Thursday. Then the city club would become the "sofa climber". In other words, promotion would be a definite fact without FCZ having played. The club and fans should be able to cope with that. The party would then take place before the home game against Wil.
Incidentally, it is the exception rather than the rule that a Super League team that has been relegated is promoted again straight away. The last time FC St. Gallen achieved this was in 2009, and since then the relegated Super League team has had to spend at least two seasons in the Challenge League.
FC ZURICH - SERVETTE FC
17.05.17, Letzigrund Stadium
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