Lausanne Sports vs Kriens Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

As their two-year stay in the top division came to an end in May, it’s fair to say that Lausanne didn’t enjoy themselves last season, though there is no reason as to why Fabio Celestini’s men cannot make a swift return. Friday’s hosts have kept the bulk of their squad together, while they’ve added a few new faces too. As was the case when they were last plying their trade at this level, Lausanne are very much the front-runners to go up as champions.

Kriens are also new to the Challenge League this season, though they’re coming into the division from the opposite direction. Having won the third division last season, Bruno Berner’s men will be hoping to get their second tier careers off to a good start but facing a team who’ve just dropped down from the top division will be anything but easy.

In all honesty, this is a perfect place for Lausanne to start rebuilding. They’ll undoubtedly be disappointed about dropping down, but they’ll know that they have the squad to dominant this division, just as they did three seasons ago.

We’re not talking about competitive fixtures, but the fact that Lausanne come into this match having beaten the likes of Fenerbahce and Sion, both of whom are in the top division in their respective countries, bodes well. Against the Turks last time out, Celestini’s men more than held their own, scored twice and won the game. A similar performance against much lesser opponents is likely to result in Lausanne making the perfect start to the campaign.

What’s more, though they were relegated last season, it wasn’t as if Lausanne were cannon fodder for the teams in the first division. Defensively they struggled against the big teams, though it’s not like they didn’t enjoy plenty of good moments. Friday’s hosts scored 46 goals in 36 top-flight matches last season, so with pretty much the same team, they should be scoring for fun in this division.

Kriens did win their division last season, though they still conceded an average of just over a goal per game, so it’s easy to think that they could encounter plenty of problems against the team who’re likely to be challenging for the title. Moreover, the visitors have been conceding an awful lot of goals in the build up to this fixture. They conceded twice against Aarau, who operate at this level, while they were all over the place when shipping three against fourth-tier opponents in their final preparation game. Unless the visitors massively improve at Stade olympique de la Pontaise on Friday night, then they’re in for a sobering start to life in the second division.

They may be playing in the same division, but these are two teams who really ought to be playing in different leagues. A disparity in quality is expected to be evident right from the start, and it is the hosts who’re favoured to come out on top in convincing fashion. Backing ‘Lausanne to Score Over 2.5 Goals’, a bet which has yielded a profit in four of the last six renewals of this fixture, catches the eye.