Basel vs CSKA Sofia

St. Jakob-Park forms the backdrop for Basel’s attempt to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit against CSKA Sofia and make the Europa Conference League group stages.

Sergio Lopez’s unfortunate own goal midway through the second half decided an evenly-contested first leg in Bulgaria. Basel bounced back by dismantling non-league side Allschwil 5-0 in the Swiss Cup at the weekend. Yet, it’s not been a bright start to the new club season for the 20-time Swiss champions by any stretch of the imagination, with Alexander Frei’s team picking up just three wins from their ten competitive outings so far (D4, L3). Indeed, Basel needed a nerve-shredding penalty shoot-out to dispatch Brondby in the previous Europa Conference League knock-out round after hauling back a 1-0 first-leg deficit at home (0-1 A, 2-1 H). But that second-leg triumph over the Danes remains Basel’s solitary success in four home matches (D2, L1), two of which saw them draw a blank.

On the other hand, visiting CSKA Sofia have only lost one of their five Europa Conference League qualifiers this term (W3, D1), keeping a clean sheet in all four matches they didn’t lose. Last season’s Bulgarian First League runners-up come into proceedings in high spirits after putting together three competitive victories ‘to nil.’ Another robust defensive performance would seal the deal for CSKA, with the Bulgarians seeking their second successive appearance in the Europa Conference League group phase. However, CSKA’s poor all-time competitive record against Swiss adversaries (W3, D1, L6) could douse the enthusiasm in the travelling camp. That said, Sasa Ilic’s men have won both previous games against Basel, conceding just once in those meetings.