2017–18 FC Basel season

The 2017–18 FC Basel season was the 125th season in club history and the club's 23rd consecutive season in the top flight of Swiss football. Basel were the reigning Swiss Super League champions. The season started on the weekend of 22–23 July 2017 and ended on 19 May 2018.[1] They were also the Swiss Cup holders. The first round of the Swiss Cup was played on 13 August 2017. Basel were also qualified for this season's Champions League in the Group stage. The first round was played on 12 September 2017.

FC Basel
2017–18 season
FC Basel Logo
OwnerFCB Holding
ChairmanSwitzerland Bernhard Burgener
ManagerSwitzerland Raphaël Wicky
GroundSt. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland
Super League2nd
Swiss CupSemi-finals
Champions LeagueRound of 16
Top goalscorerLeague: Albian Ajeti (14)
All: Albian Ajeti (14)

Club edit

Management edit

Raphaël Wicky was appointed as new first team manager and was given a two-year contract with an option for a third year. His assistant is Massimo Lombardo and further members of the training staff are Werner Leuthard and Marco Walker. Massimo Colomba is the Goalkeeper coach. Massimo Ceccaroni is head of the FCB Youth System.

Position Staff
Manager   Raphaël Wicky
Assistant manager   Massimo Lombardo
Assistant manager
& Fitness Coach
  Marco Walker
Goalkeeper Coach   Massimo Colomba
Fitness Coach   Werner Leuthard
Team leader   Gustav Nussbaumer
Youth Team Coach   Arjan Peço
Youth Team Co-Coach   Toni Membrino
Youth Team Co-Coach   Michaël Bauch

Further information edit

The FC Basel annual general meeting took place on 9 June 2017. The previous board of directors under president Bernhard Heusler with sportdirector Georg Heitz, vice-president Adrian Knup, financial manager Stephan Werthmüller and marketing manager René Kamm stepped back. Reto Baumgartner, Dominik Donzé and Benno Kaiser remained on the board. Bernhard Burgener took over as chairman and Marco Streller as sportdirector. [2] Peter von Büren was voted as financial manager and Patrick Jost in marketing.

Chairman   Bernhard Burgener
Vice Chairman  
Finances   Peter von Büren
Sportdirector   Marco Streller
Marketing   Patrick Jost
Direktor   Reto Baumgartner
Direktor   Dominik Donzé
Direktor   Benno Kaiser
Ground (capacity and dimensions) St. Jakob-Park (38,512[3]
(37,500 for international matches)[4] / 120x80 m)

Updated to match played 10 June 2017
Source: FCB Official Site

Overview edit

Offseason and preseason edit

At the end of the 2016–17 FC Basel season Marc Janko left the club and joined Czech First League club Sparta Prague. Daniel Høegh also left the club and joined SC Heerenveen of the Dutch Eredivisie[5] On 23 June 2017 Basel announced that Jean-Paul Boëtius had been transferred to Dutch club Feyenoord.[6] Seydou Doumbia's loan came to an end and Basel neither wanted to prolong nor enter the option to buy him. Adama Traoré left the club mid-August because he no longer played a part in the teams planning.

In the other direction Basel were not too busy on the transfer market. On 14 June 2017 Basel announced that they had signed Ricky van Wolfswinkel from SBV Vitesse.[7] A few days later, on 20 June, the club announced that they had loaned Dimitri Oberlin from Red Bull Salzburg.[8]

First half of season edit

During the season, on 13 September 2017 Basel announced that they had recalled striker Cedric Itten from the loan to Luzern.[9] Then following the injury suffered by Ricky van Wolfswinkel Basel were forced to hire another striker and on 2 October 2017 they announced that Albian Ajeti had been signed a five-year contract.[10]

Mid-season break edit

During the winter mid-season break there was also quite some movements on the transfer market. On 23 December 2017 FC Basel announced that Fabian Frei would return to the club, signing a four and a half year contract dated up until June 2022.[11] On 27 December the club announced that Samuele Campo, a former Basel youth player, was also returning, signing a four and a half year contract dated up until June 2022.[12] Furthermore, on 10 January 2018 the club announced that another former Basel player Valentin Stocker was also returning. Stocker signed a three and a half year contract dated up until June 2021.[13]

In the other direction, also on 10 January, Basel announced that Renato Steffen had left the club.[14] Steffen signed a three and a half year deal with VfL Wolfsburg. The transfer fee was reported as being 1.75 million Euro.[15] Just a few days later Basel announced that Akanji had transferred to Borussia Dortmund.[16] The transfer fee was reported as being 21.5 million Euro. He signed a four and a half year contract dated until June 2022.[17]

The Campaign edit

Domestic League edit

The season started on the weekend of 22–23 July 2017. Basel's priority aim for the new season is to win the league championship for the ninth consecutive time. Their first game was the match against Young Boys in Stade de Suisse which ended in a 0–2 defeat. Following three victories Basel played four games without a win (two draws, two defeats) and slipped down to fourth position in the league table. Following this poor start the following game was at home against Zürich. The game was a passionate battle and the home club titled their report: A passionately fighting FCB wins against FCZ 1:0.[18] The game changed the run of the season and afterwards the team won seven and drawing three of the next ten games. The first game of the second half of the season was the last game of the kalender year and is included in these figures. By the mid-season break Basel had narrowed the gap to table leaders Young Boys to just two points, third placed Zürich were twelve points adrift.

After the winter break Basel could not find to their good form that they had before the break. They lost three of their first four games, at home against Lugano and St. Gallen and away against Luzern. The gap to leading Young Boys grew and was no longer reversible. The 5–1 win against Young Boys was achieved in the third last game of the season, but came after the championship had mathematically already been decided.

Domestic Cup edit

Basel are the Swiss Cup holders. Basel's clear aim for the cup is to defend their title. The first round of the Swiss Cup started on 13 August 2017. In the first three rounds Basel were drawn away against lower-tier teams, winning against FC Wettswil-Bonstetten, FC Chiasso and FC Rapperswil-Jona. Basel were then drawn at home against Luzern in the quarter-final. This was won 2–1 and Basel advance to the semi-final in the Stade de Suisse against Young Boys on 27 February 2018.

Champions League edit

Basel entered into this season's Champions League in the Group stage. They were drawn into Group A along with Manchester United, Benfica and CSKA Moscow. Basels initial aim is to remain in a European competition after the Champions League group stage. The first match was the away game against Manchester United. Basel were previously drawn with both Benfica and United in 2011–12 and on this occasion, United finished third in the group and dropped down to the UEFA Europa League.

Manchester United (12 September 2017)

The first game was played in Old Trafford, in proper Manchester weather in Manchester. Basel were sitting deep, with their three centre-backs, as United took control of the game from the very start. Marouane Fellaini came off the bench after 19 minutes to replace the injured Paul Pogba and opened the scoring with a powerful header in the 35 minute, which was only part of his Man of the Match performance. Basel played better after the opening goal and even at the beginning of the second half created their chances. But it was also a particularly special night for Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford, both of whom found the net on their Champions League debuts with second-half strikes. United took a corner short, Daley Blind to Juan Mata and when Blind took the return he crossed for Lukaku who outjumped Balanta to power home. in the 85 minute Fellaini crossed, the ball was missed by Mkhitaryan and Suchý before Rashford, opening his body, sidefooted into the ground and high into the net.[19]

Benfica (27 September 2017)

Basel ran out 5–0 victors at St. Jakob-Park in Basel against Portuguese side Benfica on Wednesday 27 September in an emphatic and much-needed victory for the Swiss club in the Champions League. Basel controlled the game from the start, Michael Lang (2) and Dimitri Oberlin (20) gave Basel a two-goal lead in the first half. Oberlin showed his amazing speed as he scored this goal. He made a clearance from a Benfica corner before covering the length of the pitch in mere seconds. Impressively, the 20-year-old composed himself after the run upon receiving the pass from Renato Steffen before sending the ball past the goalkeeper Júlio César.[20] Ricky van Wolfswinkel then added a third in the second half (60) with a penalty, before birthday-boy Oberlin scored his second (69) and Blas Riveros's goal in the 76 minute completed the rout. Benfica were reduced to 10-men when André Almeida was sent off for foul play in the 63 minute.[21]

CSKA Moscow (18 October 2017)

Match three of the Group Stage took Basel to the away game in the VEB Arena against CSKA Moscow. The game started slowly, the teams getting to know each other, indeed both teams looked very cautious in the beginning. But Basel took control after about ten minutes. Taulant Xhaka missed his first chance, but in the 29 minute he scored his first European goal in his 47th European match. The Albanian international cruised through the CSKA defence and shot the ball into the back of the net, a right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner. There was little reaction from CSKA players after conceding. Quite the contrary – the visitors grew in confidence and took more control. At the end of an energetic first half, the visitors had the majority of the possession. The hosts matched the energy of the Swiss side, but had not been able to make more than one attempt on goal (off target). It was a deserved lead at half-time and Basel looked the more dangerous in the second half. Ten minutes into the second half the assistant referee canceled out Basel's second goal for offside, after referee Björn Kuipers initially pointed to the centre circle. The decision came about 40 seconds after the visitors started their celebrations. Towards the end of the game Basel made themselves good chances. Dimitri Oberlin missed the target on two occasions, until eventually in the 90 minute he didn't miss. The Switzerland U21 international made his run from the halfway line and finished with composure, slotting it calmly in the corner of goal.[22]

Players edit

First team squad edit

The following is the list of the Basel first team squad. It also includes players that were in the squad the day the season started on 22 July 2017 but subsequently left the club after that date.

As of 2 October 2017[23]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   CZE Tomáš Vaclík
3 DF   CIV Adama Traoré
4 DF   EGY Omar Gaber
5 DF   SUI Michael Lang (Vice-Captain)
6 MF   SUI Fabian Frei
7 MF   SUI Luca Zuffi
9 FW   NED Ricky van Wolfswinkel
10 MF   SUI Samuele Campo
11 MF   SUI Renato Steffen
13 GK   SUI Mirko Salvi
14 MF   SUI Valentin Stocker
15 MF   SWE Alexander Fransson
17 DF   CZE Marek Suchý (Captain)
18 GK   SUI Germano Vailati
19 FW   SUI Dimitri Oberlin
20 MF   CIV Serey Dié
No. Pos. Nation Player
22 MF   SUI Albian Ajeti
23 DF   COL Éder Álvarez Balanta
24 MF   NOR Mohamed Elyounoussi
25 DF   PAR Blás Riveros
27 FW   SUI Neftali Manzambi
28 DF   ITA Raoul Petretta
30 FW   SUI Cedric Itten
31 MF   SUI Dominik Robin Schmid
33 MF   SUI Kevin Bua
34 MF   ALB Taulant Xhaka (Vice-Captain)
35 DF   POR Pedro Pacheco
36 DF   SUI Manuel Akanji
37 FW   FRA Afimico Pululu
39 MF   SUI Davide Callà
- MF   ARG Matías Delgado
- GK   SRB Đorđe Nikolić
- MF   SUI Dereck Kutesa

Loans edit

In on loan edit

19 FW   SUI Dimitri Oberlin (on loan from Red Bull Salzburg until 30 June 2018)[8]

Out on loan edit

22 MF   SRB Zdravko Kuzmanović (on loan at Málaga until 30 June 2018)[24]
DF   SUI Eray Cümart (on loan at Sion 30 June 2018)[25]
20 MF   SUI Dereck Kutesa (on loan to Luzern from 14 September until 30 June 2018)[26]
30 FW   SUI Cedric Itten (on loan at Luzern (ended early, on 13 September 2017))[27][9]
- FW   SVN Andraž Šporar (on loan to Arminia Bielefeld until 30 June 2018)[28]
MF   SUI Robin Huser (on loan at FC Winterthur until 30 June 2018)[29]
GK   SRB Đorđe Nikolić (on loan to Schaffhausen until 30 June 2018)[30]

Transfers summer 2017 edit

In edit

9 FW   NED Ricky van Wolfswinkel (from SBV Vitesse)[7]
13 GK   SUI Mirko Salvi (return from Lugano end of loan)

Out edit

-- MF   SRB Veljko Simić (released)[31]
-- FW   SUI Nicolas Hunziker (to Thun)[32]
3 DF   CIV Adama Traoré (to Göztepe S.K.)[33]
10 MF   ARG Matías Delgado (retired)[34]
21 FW   AUT Marc Janko (to Sparta Prague)[35]
26 DF   DEN Daniel Høegh (to SC Heerenveen)[36]
77 FW   NED Jean-Paul Boëtius (to Feyenoord)[6]
88 FW   CIV Seydou Doumbia (end of loan)[37]

Transfers winter 2017–18 edit

In edit

3 DF   SUI Léo Lacroix (from AS Saint-Étienne on loan)
6 MF   SUI Fabian Frei (from Mainz 05)
10 MF   SUI Samuele Campo (from Lausanne-Sport)
14 MF   SUI Valentin Stocker (from Hertha BSC)

Out edit

11 MF   SUI Renato Steffen (to VfL Wolfsburg)
36 DF   SUI Manuel Akanji (to Borussia Dortmund)

Results and fixtures edit

Kickoff times are in CET

Legend edit

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

Friendly matches edit

Pre- and mid-season edit

30 June 2017 Pre-season Basel   4–1   Rosenheim Sportplatz Birkenmoos, Rottach-Egern
18:30 Schmid   18' (1:0)
Balanta   47'
Steffen   57' (2:1)
van Wolfswinkel   59' (3:1)
van Wolfswinkel   89' (4:1)
FCB summary   55' (2:1) Valentin Hauswirth Attendance: 120
Referee:   Matthias Zacher
5 July 2017 Pre-season Basel   0–0   Wil Youth Campus Basel, Münchenstein
17:00 FCB summary Attendance: 700
Referee:   Fedayi San
Note: Fair gaame, no yellow cards
8 July 2017 Pre-season Basel   2–0   Xamax Youth Campus Basel, Münchenstein
11:00 Delgado   29' (1:0)
Kutesa   37'
Bua   73' (2:0)
FCB summary   25' Di Nardo Attendance: 900
Referee:   Adrien Jaccotet
12 July 2017 Pre-season Basel   3–2   Athletic Club Bilbao Stade du Christ-Roi, Lens, Switzerland
19:00 Delgado   29' (pen. 1:0)
van Wolfswinkel   60' (2:2)
Pululu   84' (3:2)
FCB summary   28' Balenziaga
  40' (1:1) Merino
  48' (1:2) Kike Sola
Attendance: 1,050
Referee:   Sascha Amhof
15 July 2017 Pre-season Basel   3–2   Sporting CP Centre Sportif, Delley-Portalban
19:00 Delgado   34' (pen. 1:1)
Delgado   37'
Steffen   43' (2:1)
Bua   79' (3:2)
FCB summary   28' (pen. 0:1) Dost
  39' Ruiz
  77' (2:2) Pereira
Attendance: 3,500
Referee:   Alain Bieri (Solothurn)
30 August 2017 Mid-season Basel   6–1   Wohlen Youth Campus Basel, Münchenstein
11:00 van Wolfswinkel   3' (1:0)
Steffen   13' (2:0)
van Wolfswinkel   36' (3:1)
Zuffi   41' (4:1)
Steffen   43' (5:1)
Pululu   56' (6:1)
Adamczyk   64'
FCB summary   16' (2:1) Marko Bicvic
  51' Sadrijaj
Attendance: 350
Referee:   Adrien Jaccottet (Basel)
4 October 2017 Mid-season Basel   1–2   Schaffhausen Youth Campus Basel, Münchenstein
11:00 Okafor   4' (1:0) FCB summary   14' (1:1) Dangubic
  27' (1:2) Tranquilli
Attendance: 300
Referee:   Tomas Superczynsk
Note: Fair game, no yellow cards

Winter break edit

14 January 2018 Training camp Basel   1–1   Tianjin Quanjian Marbella Football Center, San Pedro de Alcántara
16:00 Okafor   31' (1:0) FCB summary   44' (1:1) Zheng Dalun Attendance: 200
Referee:   Jose Maria Aranda Delgado
Note: Fair game, no yellow cards
17 January 2018 Training camp Basel   1–2   Viktoria Plzeň Marbella Football Center, San Pedro de Alcántara
16:00 Bua   17' (1:0) FCB summary   49' (pen. 1:1) Bakoš
  56' (1:2) Čermák
Attendance: 50
Referee:   Juan Gabriel Gallegos Gimenez
Note: Fair game, no yellow cards
20 January 2018 Training camp Basel   2–4   SK Sturm Graz Marbella Football Center, San Pedro de Alcántara
16:00 Elyounoussi   43' (1:3)
Elyounoussi   45' (2:3)
Balanta   58'
Serey Die   90'
FCB summary   5' (0:1) Koch
  30' (0:2) Alar
  41' (0:3) Huspek
  56' (2:4) Lovrić
Attendance: 60
Referee:   Sergio Gutierez Perez
24 January 2018 Winter break Basel   1–0   Winterthur Youth Campus Basel, Münchenstein
11:00 van Wolfswinkel   55' (1:0) FCB summary Attendance: 300
Referee:   Lukas Fähndrich
Note: Fair game, no yellow cards
27 January 2018 Winter break Basel   1–0   Luzern St. Jakob Stadium, Basel
13:30 Al. Ajeti   62' (1:0) FCB summary Attendance: 3,290
Referee:   Adrien Jaccottet (Basel)
Note: Fair game, no yellow cards

Swiss Super League edit

First half of season edit

22 July 2017 Round 1 Young Boys 2–0 Basel Stade de Suisse, Bern
19:00 Hoarau   16'
Nuhu   53'
Ravet   58' (1:0)
Sanago   79'
Sulejmani   80' (2:0)
FCB summary   4' Delgado
  32' Elyounoussi
  45' Suchý
  69' Lang
  79' Balanta
  90+2' Steffen
Attendance: 31,500 (sold out)
Referee:   Stephan Klossner
30 July 2017 Round 2 Basel 3–1 Luzern St. Jakob-Park, Basel
16:00 Elyounoussi   14' (1:0)
Bua   22' (2:0)
  33' Akanji
van Wolfswinkel   79' (3:1)
FCB summary   33' Kryeziu
  50' Custodio
  54' (o.g. 2:1) Elyounoussi
  68' Juric
Attendance: 27,416
Referee:   Fedayi San
5 August 2017 Round 3 Thun 0–3 Basel Stockhorn Arena, Thun
19:00 Bürgy   66' FCB summary   3' (0:1) van Wolfswinkel
  29' (0:2) Bua
  71' Steffen
  88' Vaclík
  90+6' (0:3) Oberlin
Attendance: 7,227
Referee:   Alain Bieri
10 August 2017 Round 4 Basel 3–2 Grasshopper Club St. Jakob-Park, Basel
20:00 Vilotić   29' (o.g. 1:0)
van Wolfswinkel   43' (2:0)
van Wolfswinkel   60' (pen. 3:0)
Balanta   84'
FCB summary   59' Zesiger
  70' (3:1) Andersen
  773:2' Vilotić
  75' Vilotić
Attendance: 26,317
Referee:   Nikolaj Hänni (Gams SG)
20 August 2017 Round 5 Basel 1–1 Lugano St. Jakob-Park, Basel
16:00 van Wolfswinkel   62' (pen. 1:0) FCB summary   62' Piccinocchi
  86' (1:1) Carlinhos Júnior
  89' Mihajlović
Attendance: 26,994
Referee:   Adrien Jaccottet
27 August 2017 Round 6 Sion 1–1 Basel Stade Tourbillon, Sion
16:00 Zock   19'
Matheus Cunha   47' (1:1)
Schneuwly   89'
FCB summary   7' (0:1) van Wolfswinkel
  21' Steffen
  28' Suchý
  34' Xhaka
Attendance: 10,900
Referee:   Alain Bieri (Solothurn)
9 September 2017 Round 7 Basel 1–2 Lausanne-Sport St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:00 Wolfswinkel   30' (pen. 1:0)
Suchy   53'   53'
Steffen   72'
FCB summary   29' Maniere
  55' (1:1) Kololli
  32'   71' Getaz
  80' (1:2) Geissmann
  85' Maccoppi
  90+1' Monteiro
  90+3' Castella
Attendance: 23,686
Referee:   Pascal Erlachner
20 September 2017 Round 8 St. Gallen 2–1 Basel Kybunpark, St. Gallen
19:00 Aratore   15' (1:0)
Aleksić   25' (2:0)
Aleksić   45'
Lüchinger   52'
Hefti   55'
Wiss   81'
FCB summary   31' Xhaka
  89' Oberlin
  89' (2:1) Zuffi
Attendance: 12,214
Referee:   Stephan Klossner
23 September 2017 Round 9 Basel 1–0 Zürich St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:00 Oberlin   62' (1:0)
Zuffi   71'
Lang   80'
Xhaka   90+1'
FCB summary   41' Sarr Attendance: 29,584
Referee:   Sandro Schärer Buttikon
30 September 2017 Round 10 Grasshopper Club 0–0 Basel Letzigrund, Zürich
19:00 Bergström  9' FCB summary   33' Xhaka
  63' Akanji
Attendance: 10,300
Referee:   Alain Bieri (Solothurn)
Note: 26th minute Steffen injured and out of match
14 October 2017 Round 11 Lugano 0–4 Basel Cornaredo, Lugano
19:00 Mariani   33'
Amuzie   85'
FCB summary   19' (0:1) Petretta
  39' (0:2) Al. Ajeti
  74' (0:3) Elyounoussi
  86' (0:4) Itten
Attendance: 3,627
Referee:   Pascal Erlachner
21 October 2017 Round 12 Basel 2–1 Thun St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:00 Zuffi   36' (1:0)
Al. Ajeti   62' (2:0)
Suchý   67'
FCB summary   26' Hediger
  68' (pen. 2:1) Costanzo
  70' Kablan
  77' Tosetti
Attendance: 24,559
Referee:   Fedayi San (Gebenstorf)
Note: 8th minute; header Al. Ajeti against the post, 40th minute; shot Bua against the post, 55th minute shot Elyounoussi against the post
28 October 2017 Round 13 Zürich 0–0 Basel Letzigrund, Zürich
19:00 Jagne   8'
Brunner   41'
Pálsson   61'
Bangura   82'
FCB summary
Soccerway summary
  3' Suchý
  31' Xhaka
  53' Oberlin
Attendance: 15,023
Referee:   Stephan Klossner
5 November 2017 Round 14 Basel 1–1 Young Boys St. Jakob-Park, Basel
16:00 Dié   54'
Dié   57' (1:0)
Callà   78'
FCB summary
Soccerway report
  40' Benito
  59'Nuhu
  65' Aebischer
  80' (1:1)Nsamé
Attendance: 32,456
Referee:   Sandro Schärer
18 November 2017 Round 15 Basel 5–1 Sion St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:00 Lang   56' (1:1)
Elyounoussi   57' (2:1)
Steffen   72' (pen. 3:1)
Bua   76' (pen. 4:1)}
Bua   90+2' (5:1)
FCB summary   3' (0:1) Schneuwly
  14' Uçan
  21' Angha
  53'   71' Bamert
  74' Mitryushkin
  78' Kasami
Attendance: 24,212
Referee:   Alain Bieri (Solothurn)
25 November 2017 Round 16 Luzern 1–4 Basel Swissporarena, Luzern
19:00 Shkelqim Demhasaj   19' (1:0)
Grether   52'
Ziegler   56'
Kryeziu   86'
FCB summary   30' (1:1) Lang
  50' Xhaka
  69' (1:2) Oberlin
  81' (1:3) Itten
  90+2' (1:4) Lang
Attendance: 10,109
Referee:   Adrien Jaccottet (Basel)
2 December 2017 Round 17 Lausanne-Sport 1–4 Basel Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne
19:00 Maccoppi   55'
Zeqiri   79' (1:4)
FCB summary   7' (0:1) Elyounoussi
  39' (0:2) Al. Ajeti
  63' (0:3) Lang
  66' (0:4) Steffen
Attendance: 3,956
Referee:   Urs Schnyder
9 December 2017 Round 18 Basel 3–0 St. Gallen St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:00 Al. Ajeti   20' (1:0)
Steffen   62'
Al. Ajeti   65' (2:0)
Akanji   72' (3:0)
FCB summary   28' Wiss
  67' Aratore
Attendance: 24,812
Referee:   Fedayi San (Gebenstorf)

Second half of season edit

17 December 2017 Round 19 Grasshopper Club 0–2 Basel Letzigrund, Zürich
16:00 Qollaku   79'
Vilotić   88'
FCB summary   25' Elyounoussi
  59'   79' Steffen
Attendance: 7,800
Referee:   Stephan Klossner
4 February 2018 Round 20 Basel 0–1 Lugano St. Jakob-Park, Basel
16:00 Elyounoussi   27'
Suchý   45'
Xhaka   60'
FCB summary   6' Gerndt
  24' Rouiller
  60' Črnigoj
Attendance: 23,841
Referee:   Sandro Schärer Buttikon
10 February 2018 Round 21 Thun 0–2 Basel Stockhorn Arena, Thun
19:00 Righetti   32'
Glarner   90+4'
FCB summary   42' Oberlin
  59' Petretta
  90'   88' Bua
Attendance: 5,607
Referee:   Lukas Fähndrich
17 February 2018 Round 22 Basel 0–2 St. Gallen St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:00 van Wolfswinkel   24'
Serey Die   26'
Suchý   57'
Xhaka   90+1'
FCB summary   23' Hefti
  52' Barnetta
  53', 86' Itten
Attendance: 22,988
Referee:   Jérôme Brisard
24 February 2018 Round 23 Lausanne-Sport P–P Basel Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne
19:00 Referee:   Urs Schnyder
3 March 2018 Round 24 Basel P–P Zürich St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:00 Referee:   Nikolaj Hänni
11 March 2018 Round 25 Luzern 1–0 Basel Swissporarena, Luzern
16:00 Knezevic   36'
Gvilia   46'
Kryeziu  74'
FCB summary   21' Bua
  32' Riveros
  57' Suchý
  92' Al. Ajeti
  93' Oberlin
Attendance: 11,749
Referee:   Fedayi San (Gebenstorf)
14 March 2018 Round 23 Lausanne-Sport 1–1 Basel Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne
18:45 Schmid   16'
Monteiro   76'
Enzo   84'
Rapp  89'
FCB summary   40' Oberlin
  60' Lang
  88' Stocker
  89' Serey Die
Attendance: 3,159
Referee:   Pascal Erlachner
18 March 2018 Round 26 Basel 1–0 Sion St. Jakob-Park, Basel
16:00 Al. Ajeti   46'   69'
Lacroix   87'
FCB summary   79' Cunha Attendance: 24,717
Referee:   Urs Schnyder
2 April 2018 Round 27 Young Boys 2–2 Basel Stade de Suisse, Bern
16:00 Hoarau   24'
Nuhu   40'
Fassnacht   56'
FCB summary   36' Stocker
  39' Xhaka
  47' Suchý
  50' Zuffi
  59' Elyounoussi
Attendance: 31,120 (sold out)
Referee:   Frank Schneider (Strassburg)
7 April 2018 Round 28 Lugano 0–1 Basel Cornaredo, Lugano
16:00 Rouiller   45' FCB summary   18' Elyounoussi
  26' Suchý
  86' Xhaka
  90' Stocker
Attendance: 4,746
Referee:   Lionel Tschudi (Neuchâtel)
11 April 2018 Round 24 Basel 3–0 Zürich St. Jakob-Park, Basel
18:45 Riveros   16'
Xhaka   66'
F. Frei   69'
Stocker   71'
Campo   79'
van Wolfswinkel   84'
Petretta   90+2'
FCB summary   61' Nef
  73' Schättin
Attendance: 27,137
Referee:   Stephan Klossner
15 April 2018 Round 29 Basel 2–1 Lausanne-Sport St. Jakob-Park, Basel
16:00 Bua   11'
  60'
Al. Ajeti   90+2'
FCB summary   24' Loosli
  55'   82' Gétaz
  63' Margiotta
  90' Castella
Attendance: 23,649
Referee:   Lukas Fähndrich
18 April 2018 Round 30 Basel 1–0 Grasshopper Club St. Jakob-Park, Basel
20:00 Stocker   43'
Bua   58'
Elyounoussi   75'
Manzambi   83'
FCB summary   28' Bergström
  45' Doumbia
Attendance: 23,487
Referee:   Pascal Erlachner
22 April 2018 Round 31 Sion 2–2 Basel Stade Tourbillon, Sion
16:00 Carlitos   42' (pen.)
Kasami   44'
Cunha   47'
FCB summary   11', 52' van Wolfswinkel
  18' Campo
  60' Lacroix
  63' Lang
  78' F. Frei
Attendance: 12,800
Referee:   Stephan Klossner
29 April 2018 Round 32 Basel 6–1 Thun St. Jakob-Park, Basel
16:00 Stocker   7'
Campo   13'
Manzambi   47'
van Wolfswinkel   49'   57'
Al. Ajeti   75', 86'
FCB summary   40' Sorgić
  58' Gelmi
Attendance: 25,229
Referee:   Sandro Schärer (Buttikon)
6 May 2018 Round 33 St. Gallen 2–4 Basel Kybunpark, St. Gallen
16:00 Buess   8'
Sigurjónsson   61'
Wittwer   74'
Toko   76'
FCB summary   30' Serey Die
  43', 58'   65' Elyounoussi
  70' Campo
  87' Al. Ajeti
Attendance: 15,594
Referee:   Fedayi San (Gebenstorf)
10 May 2018 Round 34 Basel 5–1 Young Boys St. Jakob-Park, Basel
16:00 Elyounoussi   2'
Ajeti   26'
Stocker   31'
Zuffi   54'
Ajeti   79'
Oberlin   87'
FCB summary   78' Benito
  84' Nsame
  89' Fassnacht
Attendance: 29,121
Referee:   Urs Schnyder
13 May 2018 Round 35 Zürich 4–1 Basel Letzigrund, Zürich
16:00 Brunner   44'
Dwamena   49'
Pa Modou   62'
Frey  
Marchesano   90+1'
FCB summary   45' Balanta
  90+3' Al. Ajeti
Attendance: 11,135
Referee:   Nikolaj Hänni (Gams SG)
19 May 2018 Round 36 Basel 2–2 Luzern St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:00 Elyounoussi   17'
Frei   27'
Al. Ajeti   82'
FCB summary   9' Schulz
  85' Schürpf
Attendance: 25,161
Referee:   Fedayi San (Gebenstorf)

League table edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Young Boys (C) 36 26 6 4 84 41 +43 84 Qualification for the Champions League play-off round
2 Basel 36 20 9 7 72 36 +36 69 Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round
3 Luzern 36 15 9 12 51 51 0 54 Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round
4 Zürich 36 12 13 11 50 44 +6 49 Qualification for the Europa League group stage[a]
5 St. Gallen 36 14 3 19 52 72 −20 45 Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round
Source: Swiss Super League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Away goals scored; 6) Draw.[38]
(C) Champions
Notes:
  1. ^ Zürich qualified for the Europa League group stage by winning the 2017–18 Swiss Cup.

Swiss Cup edit

The draw for the first round was held on 28 June 2017. The Super- and Challenge League clubs were seeded and could not be drawn against each other. The lower division teams were granted home advantage and Basel were therefore drawn away. The home advantage was also granted to the team from the lower league in the second and third rounds.

13 August 2017 Round 1 FC Wettswil-Bonstetten 0–2 Basel Sportanlage Moos, Wettswil am Albis
14:30 Studer   61'
Schneebeli   83'
FCB summary
ASF/SFV summary
  37' Callà
  38' (0:1) Xhaka
  86' (0:2) Zuffi
Attendance: 4,257 (sold out) Stadium record
Referee:   Sandro Schärer Buttikon
17 September 2017 Round 2 Chiasso 0–1 Basel Stadio Comunale (Chiasso)
16:00 Krasniqi   25'
Abedini   30'
Said   49'
Simone Belometti   49'
FCB summary
ASF/SFV summary
  20' Suchý
  82' (0:1) Itten
Attendance: 1,470
Referee:   Nikolaj Hänni (Gams SG)
25 October 2017 Round 3 Rapperswil-Jona 1–2 Basel Stadion Grünfeld, Rapperswil
20:00 da Silva   32' (1:0)
Berkay Sülüngöz   34'
Schwizer   53'
FCB summary
ASF/SFV summary
  35' (1:1) Akanji
  59' (1:2) Oberlin
Attendance: 3,904
Referee:   Sandro Schärer Buttikon
29 November 2017 Quarter-final Basel 2–1 FC Luzern St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:30 Lang   13' (1:0)
Elyounoussi   41'
Lang   52' (2:1)
FCB summary
ASF/SFV summary
  22' (1:1) Schürpf
  41' Sidler
  60' Voca
  77' Schulz
Attendance: 7,715
Referee:   Sandro Schärer Buttikon
27 February 2018 Semi-final Young Boys 2–0 Basel Stade de Suisse, Bern
20:15 Hoarau   55' (pen. 1:0)
Suchý   65' (o.g. 2:0)
FCB summary
ASF/SFV summary
Attendance: 23,519
Referee:   Stephan Klossner

UEFA Champions League edit

Group stage edit

Basel were qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League in the Group stage. The draw was held on 24 August 2017, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. Basel were drawn into Group A along with Manchester United, Benfica and CSKA Moscow. The first match was the away game against Manchester United.

Matches
12 September 2017 (2017-09-12) Round 1 Manchester United   3–0   Basel Old Trafford, Manchester
20:45 Fellaini   35' (1:0)
Young   38'
Lukaku   53' (2:0)
Blind   58'
Rashford   84' (3:0)
FCB summary
UEFA summary
  28' Balanta
  61' Lang
  82' Xhaka
Attendance: 73,854
Referee:   Ruddy Buquet
27 September 2017 (2017-09-27) Round 2 Basel   5–0   Benfica St. Jakob-Park, Basel
20:45 Lang   2' (1:0)
Oberlin   20' (2:0)
Akanji   45+1'
Petretta   50'
Xhaka   59'
Van Wolfswinkel   60' (pen. 3:0)
Oberlin   69' (4:0)
Riveros   76' (5:0)
FCB summary
UEFA report
  55' Živković
  59' Salvio
  63' André Almeida
Attendance: 34,111
Referee:   Craig Thomson (Scotland)
18 October 2017 (2017-10-18) Round 3 CSKA Moscow   0–2   Basel VEB Arena, Moscow
20:45 Natkho   70' FCB summary
UEFA report
  29' (0:1) T. Xhaka
  90+3 0:2' D. Oberlin
Attendance: 27,996
Referee:   Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
31 October 2017 (2017-10-31) Round 4 Basel   1–2   CSKA Moscow St. Jakob-Park, Basel
20:45 Zuffi   32' (1:0)
Xhaka   60'
Balanta   74'
FCB summary
UEFA report
  49' Natkho
  65' (1:1) Dzagoev
  79' (1:2) Wernbloom
  84' Fernandes
Attendance: 33,033
Referee:   Milorad Mažić (Serbia)
22 November 2017 (2017-11-22) Round 5 Basel   1–0   Manchester United St. Jakob-Park, Basel
20:45 Lang   89' (1:0) FCB summary
UEFA report
  83' Darmian Attendance: 36,000 (sold out)
Referee:   Daniele Orsato (Italy)
5 December 2017 (2017-12-05) Round 6 Benfica   0–2   Basel Estádio da Luz, Lisbon
20:45 Samaris   68' FCB summary
UEFA report
  5' (0:1) Elyounoussi
  9' Xhaka
  63' Akanji
  65' (0:2) Oberlin
  75' Petretta
Attendance: 22,470
Referee:   Jesús Gil Manzano (Spain)
Group table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Manchester United 6 5 0 1 12 3 +9 15 Advance to knockout phase
2   Basel 6 4 0 2 11 5 +6 12
3   CSKA Moscow 6 3 0 3 8 10 −2 9 Transfer to Europa League
4   Benfica 6 0 0 6 1 14 −13 0
Source: UEFA

Knockout phase edit

Round of 16
13 February 2018 First leg Basel   0–4   Manchester City Basel, Switzerland
20:45 CET Xhaka   38'
Serey Die   89'
FCB summary
UEFA report
  14' (0:1) Gündoğan
  18' (0:2) B. Silva
  23' (0:3) Agüero
  53' (0:4) Gündoğan
  59' Fernandinho
  89' Gündoğan
Stadium: St. Jakob-Park
Attendance: 36,000[39]
Referee:   Jonas Eriksson (Sweden)
7 March 2018 Second leg Manchester City   1–2
(5–2 agg.)
  Basel Manchester, England
20:45 CET Jesus   8' (1:0)
Jesus   77'
FCB summary
UEFA Report
  17' (1:1) Elyounoussi
  44' Lacroix
  71' (1:2) Lang
Stadium: Etihad Stadium
Attendance: 49,411
Referee:   Pavel Královec (Czech Republic)

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Rahmenterminplan 2017/2018 – Calendrier 2017/2018" (PDF). www.sfl.ch (in German and French). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 15, 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  2. ^ Marti, Caspar (2017). "Die 123. GV des FCB: Neuwahlen, Ehrungen und Überraschungen". FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2017-06-10.
  3. ^ "The largest stadium in Switzerland". FC Basel 1893. 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-05-11. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  4. ^ "AFC Ajax" (PDF). UEFA. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Daniel Hoegh wechselt zum SC Heerenveen". FC Basel 1893. 2017. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
  6. ^ a b "Boetius wechselt zu Feyenoord Rotterdam". FC Basel 1893. 2017. Retrieved 2017-06-23.
  7. ^ a b "Der FCB verpflichtet Ricky van Wolfswinkel". FC Basel 1893. 2017. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
  8. ^ a b FC Basel 1893 (2017). "Dimitri Oberlin wechselt leihweise zum FCB". FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 2017-07-30. Retrieved 2017-07-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ a b FC Basel 1893 (2017). "Cedric Itten zurueck zum FCB". FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2017-09-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ FC Basel 1893 (2017). "Albian Ajeti kommt zurueck zum FCB". FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2017-10-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ FC Basel 1893 (2017). "Fabian Frei kehrt zum FCB zurück". FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2017-12-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ FC Basel 1893 (2017). "Der-FCB-verpflichtet-Samuele-Campo". FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 2019-06-02. Retrieved 2017-12-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ FC Basel 1893 (2018). "Valentin Stocker kehrt zum FCB zurueck". FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2018-01-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ FC Basel 1893 (2018). "Renato Steffen wechselt zum VfL Wolfsburg". FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 2018-01-14. Retrieved 2018-01-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "VFL bestätigt: Renato Steffen ist ein Wolf".
  16. ^ FC Basel 1893 (2018). "Manuel Akanji wechselt zu Borussia Dortmund". FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2018-01-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Borussia Dortmund (2018). "BVB verpflichtet Schweizer Nationalspieler Manuel Akanji". bvb.ch. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
  18. ^ Marti, Caspar (2017). "Ein leidenschaftlich kämpfender FCB gewinnt gegen den FCZ 1:0". FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2017-09-23.
  19. ^ eurosport.com (2017). "Manchester United 3–0 Basel". eurosport.com. Retrieved 2017-09-12.
  20. ^ Lawless, Josh (2017). "WATCH: Basel Star Dimitri Oberlin Channeled His Inner Usain Bolt Last Night". sportbible.com. Archived from the original on 2019-04-13. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  21. ^ thelocal.ch (2017). "FC Basel thrash Benfica in Champions League". thelocal.ch. Retrieved 2017-09-12.
  22. ^ espn.com (2017). "Basel stay second in Group A after seeing off CSKA Moscow". espn.com. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
  23. ^ "Das Kader – Spielerportraits" [The Team – Player Portraits]. FC Basel 1893 (in German). fcb.ch. Archived from the original on 25 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  24. ^ FC Basel 1893 (2016). "Zdravko Kuzmanovic leihweise zum FC Malaga" (in German). FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2017-07-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ FC Basel 1893 (2017). "Eray Cümart leihweise zum FC Sion". FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2017-07-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ FC Basel 1893 (2017). "Dereck Kutesa wechselt leihweise zum FC Luzern". FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2017-09-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ FC Basel 1893 (2017). "Der FCB verlängert den Vertrag mit Cedric Itten" (in German). FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2017-06-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ FC Basel 1893 (2017). "Andraz Sporar leihweise zu Arminia Bielefeld". FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2017-06-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ FC Basel 1893 (2017). "Robin Huser leihweise zum FC Winterthur". FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2017-06-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ FC Basel 1893 (2017). "Nikolic leihweise zum FC Schaffhausen". FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2017-07-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. ^ "FCB und Simic lösen Vertrag in gegenseitigem Einvernehmen auf". www.fcb.ch (in German). FC Basel. 1 September 2017. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  32. ^ "Nicolas Hunziker wechselt zum FC Thun". www.fcb.ch (in German). FC Basel. 1 June 2017. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  33. ^ FC Basel 1893 (2017). "Adama Traore wechselt zu Göztepe SK". FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2017-08-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  34. ^ "Matías Delgado beendet seine profi-karriere". www.fcb.ch (in German). FC Basel. 30 July 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  35. ^ "Marc Janko verlässt den FCB ende saison". www.fcb.ch (in German). FC Basel. 4 May 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  36. ^ "Daniel Hoegh wechselt zum SC Heerenveen". www.fcb.ch (in German). FC Basel. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  37. ^ FC Basel 1893 (2016). "Seydou Doumbia leihweise zum FCB" (in German). FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 2016-07-02. Retrieved 2016-06-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  38. ^ "Règlement de la compétition de la SFL" (PDF) (in French). sfl.ch. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  39. ^ "Full Time Summary Round of 16 1st Leg – Basel v Manchester City" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.

Sources edit

External links edit