Swiss soccer clubs face tough week in UEFA Cup
Four Swiss teams face international competition this week in the first leg of the UEFA Cup first round, with last year's champions St Gallen having probably the hardest task - against Chelsea in London.
St Gallen entered the UEFA Cup fray after being narrowly defeated by Galatasaray of Istanbul in the Champions League qualifying round.
They face a difficult task on Thursday against a Chelsea team, keen to make an impact in Europe after a mediocre start to the domestic campaign.
Basel, trained by Christian Gross, take on Brann Bergen of Norway in a home leg which has been switched from Basel to the Hardturm in Zurich.
Basel, currently lying fifth in the league, are through to the UEFA Cup first round for the first time in 20 years.
Lausanne are currently second in the Swiss league but have a difficult task at home to Torpedo Moscow in their first leg match.
The fourth Swiss team, FC Zurich, have been struggling in or around the relegation zone from the start of the season. They face KRC Genk of Belgium at home on Thursday.
The return matches will be played in two weeks’ time.
swissinfo and agencies
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