Football Season Guide

Newcomers Stade Lausanne-Ouchy were dealt a hammer-blow upon being promoted to the Swiss Super League as they were told that their stadium (Stade Juan-Antonio-Samaranch) is not up to the required standards - and they don’t know when it will be. Subsequently, until further notice, all of their home games will be played at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise instead, which is still in Lausanne so it shouldn’t impact their support. However, it may cause them to start the season slowly. They’ve not really done enough pre-season, generally just picking up freebies to try and fill the gaps. Renoud and Hamdiu could do a good job but I think it’s quite telling that both were available for free. Camara’s arrival has set a few tongues wagging, and truth be told, defence looks to be their strongest area this season. They’ve got players that know how to play at a higher level, and plenty of experience too. Assuming they’re on point tactically, I really don’t see Stade Lausanne-Ouchy conceding many goals. Their attack is going to be seriously problematic though, having lost star attacker Okou to Luzern. Let’s face it - he was the reason that they got promoted. The rest can’t hold a candle to him. Their only real hope is that Ajdini can pull another rabbit out of the hat like he did last season because if not, they face a relegation battle. It’s really difficult to imagine where their goals will come from this season, and they’ve done nothing to address that pre-season. As a newly-promoted team, they will spring some surprises early on but with home advantage for now, and a bottom-heavy squad to boot, a relegation battle looks likely. Keep an eye out for Mahmoud - a bit of a wildcard signing, but one that could prove worth the risk for what he brings.