The Yellow Submarine will face the Swiss giants for the first time ever
El Villarreal CF dará el pistoletazo de salida a la pretemporada enfrentándose a un gigante del fútbol suizo. Los amarillos se medirán al FC Basel este sábado 19 de julio a las 18.00 horas en el Estadio Schnabelholz (Austria) durante el stage de pretemporada en Saint Gallen (Suiza).
Además del encuentro frente al Basilea, el conjunto groguet también se enfrentará el martes 22 de julio a las 19.00 horas frente al Saint Gallen FC. Ambos duelos se disputarán en el trascurso del stage de pretemporada que realizará el equipo del 17 al 25 de julio en Saint Gallen (Suiza).
Aunque, el duelo se disputará en el Estadio Schnabelholz, que se sitúa a escasos kilómetros y pertenece a tierras austriacas. El choque entre ambos clubes marcará un precedente hasta el momento inexistente.
El conjunto suizo es uno de los clubes más laureados de su país y el segundo con más títulos en sus vitrinas. Un total de 33 trofeos, repartidos en 21 Superligas de Suiza y 12 Copas de Suiza. Además, es el vigente campeón de la Superliga Suiza, sacándole diez puntos al segundo clasificado.
En el apartado europeo, el FC Basel es un habitual en competiciones UEFA. En su historia ha participado en 45 ocasiones, destacando las semifinales de la UEFA Europa League 2012/13 como uno de mayores hitos.
El club suizo juega sus partidos de local en St Jakob Park, recinto popularmente conocido como Joggeli. Tiene la capacidad de albergar a 42.500 espectadores y en su día fue sede de la Eurocopa 2008.
Fabio Celestini era el entrenador del FC Basel, que logró devolver la gloria al club suizo, ganando la Superliga Suiza y la Copa Suiza, tras ocho años de sequía. No obstante, Ludovic Magnin es el técnico actual del equipo.
Villarreal CF will get their pre-season underway with a first-ever meeting against one of the powerhouses of Swiss football. The Yellows will take on FC Basel this Saturday 19th July at 6pm CEST at the Stadion Schnabelholz (Austria), as part of the team’s pre-season training camp in Saint Gallen (Switzerland).
In addition to the match against Basel, the Submarine will also face FC Saint Gallen on Tuesday 22nd July at 7pm CEST. Both matches form part of the pre-season stage that will take place in Saint Gallen from 17th to 25th July.
Although both games will be held at the Stadion Schnabelholz, the ground is located just across the border in Austria, only a few kilometres away from the team’s Swiss base. Saturday’s encounter will mark the first-ever meeting between Villarreal and Basel.
The Swiss side are one of the most successful clubs in their country, with a total of 33 trophies to their name, including 21 Swiss Super League titles and 12 Swiss Cups. They are also the reigning champions of the Swiss Super League, finishing ten points clear at the top last season.
In European competition, FC Basel are regulars on the continental stage, having appeared in UEFA competitions on 45 occasions. One of their greatest achievements came in the 2012/13 campaign, when they reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League.
Basel play their home matches at the iconic St Jakob Park, known locally as ‘Joggeli’. The stadium has a capacity of 42,500 and was one of the venues for UEFA EURO 2008.
Former head coach Fabio Celestini guided the team back to glory last season, ending an eight-year trophy drought by lifting both the league and the domestic cup. However, Ludovic Magnin has since taken charge and is now the club’s current manager.
The return of Xherdan Shaqiri
FC Basel’s recent success has been closely tied to the return of Xherdan Shaqiri. The Swiss international came back to the club where he began his career, after spells with Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Liverpool, among others.
At 33 years of age, Shaqiri enjoyed the best season of his career, finishing as both top scorer and top assist provider in the Swiss Super League, with 18 goals and 21 assists.
There is only one player who has featured for both clubs, Thierno Barry.
