Grasshopper – Zürich

Grasshopper hosts Zürich in a match from the first round of the Swiss Super League.

The new season in Switzerland started in a sensational way. The best team in the country Basel suffered a 0-2 defeat during the visit to their main rival for the title Young Boys. Is this a sign that things could change in Swiss football in the coming year? Well, it’s too early to say that, but it was indeed a very interesting start of the new campaign.

Now Grasshopper and Zürich will also begin their season in the Super League.

Last season Grasshopper finished their campaign at 8th place. They won 10 games, lost 18 and drew in 8. They scored 47 goals and conceded 61.

Zürich on the other hand won promotion after finishing first in the Challenge League. They won 26 of their 36 games, scoring 91 goals and conceding 30. They lost just three games out of 36.

But of course, the level in the Challenge League is very different from the level in the Super League. Zürich dominated the Challenge League, but now it’s going to be totally different for them. Can they deal with the teams in the Super League as well? We shall wait and see.

The last time when these two teams met was in 2016. Then the match between Zürich and Grasshopper ended with a 1-1 draw. Before that Grasshopper enjoyed two consecutive wins in this rivalry – with 4-2 and 5-0. Grasshopper won three of the last four games between them and Zürich. Zürich didn’t win neither one of them.

Grasshopper are a slight favourite to win this match and it’s completely normal. Zürich are newcomers in the Super League, so they could hardly be a favourite in their first game after the promotion they’ve won. But can they surprise Grasshopper?