Who will win the opening game of the new Super League season?

On Wednesday evening, Zurich’s Letzigrund Stadium was the venue for the Women’s European Championship semi-final between Germany and Spain. A late goal from world footballer of the year Aitana (113′) saw the reigning world champions through and they could now be crowned continental champions on Sunday in the final against defending champions England. However, the Letzigrund Stadium will have to be refurbished again on Friday evening for the opening game of the new Super League season. On paper, there is a lot to suggest that the home team will come out on top in the match between FC Zurich and Sion.

Traditionally, however, it is difficult to make reliable predictions about the current form of a team on the first day of the season. Consequently, various aspects must be taken into account in the FC Zurich vs. Sion prediction. For example, the fact that Mitchell van der Gaag will be making his debut as the home team’s new coach in the Swiss top flight. Meanwhile, the visitors from Valais are relying on a well-rehearsed team and are hoping for a surprise point.

FC Zurich – Statistics & current form

With the recommendation of almost 200 competitive games alongside Erik ten Hag at Ajax Amsterdam and Manchester United, Dutchman Mitchell van der Gaag has decided to step out of the shadows and take on a head coaching role. The 53-year-old, who has already held leading positions in his home country and in Portugal, was presented at the end of May as the successor to the polarizing Ricardo Moniz at FC Zurich.

Van der Gaag is now the seventh coach since 2022 to attempt to close the gap between expectations and the mostly dismal reality at FCZ. After finishing seventh in the final standings last season, missing out on both the championship round and qualification for international competition, the 13-time national champions (most recently in 2022) are determined to return to the top six, or even the top four, this season.

Will the Ajax school with Mitchell van der Gaag find a home at FC Zurich?

The only problem is that there was another major shake-up in the summer and key players left the club. Conversely, the focus for new signings has been primarily on talented youngsters. Nevertheless, those in charge are hoping for a better season, which has a lot to do with the aforementioned coach, whose playing philosophy and training methods have already been well received by everyone involved in the first few weeks.

However, a certain inconsistency was still evident in the friendly matches. At the end of the preseason, for example, there was a 2-0 win against German second division side Magdeburg, before the dress rehearsal against second division relegation side Ulm ended in a 3-0 defeat. However, it was noticeable in all the friendly matches that the approach has become much bolder, more carefree, and, in the next step, more offensive. Considering that the Blue and Whites conceded the most home goals of all SL teams in the 2024/25 main round, there are good reasons to put the odds on a relatively high-scoring game between FC Zurich and Sion on your betting slip.

Sion – Statistics & current form

At FC Sion, it’s business as usual one day before the start of the season. What happened? During the week, club president Christian Constantin, notorious for his scandals, was fined 800,000 Swiss francs for unlawful dismissals during the coronavirus pandemic. Within a very short time, the Swiss entrepreneur, whose son is also the sporting director at FC Sion, made negative headlines for the second time after ensuring that a controversial friendly match against Zenit St. Petersburg took place in Russia around a month ago…

CC’s emotional nature also has an impact on the sporting side of things, especially as coach Didier Tholot has been on the verge of dismissal several times in recent months. However, a clarifying discussion between the two protagonists is said to have taken place in the meantime, so that the 61-year-old Frenchman, who has already won the Swiss Cup twice with FCS, is starting the new season with confidence and anticipation.

Will FC Sion be this year’s positive surprise?

The aforementioned anticipation is also due to the fact that the Valais club has made some smart signings in the transfer market. Over a million euros has been spent on three new players. In addition, there are new signings on free transfers and loan players who want to take the next step in their careers in Sion. Because they have also managed to keep almost all of their key players, the White and Reds, who finished ninth in 2024/25, are even being touted as a potential surprise team for 2025/26.

However, their performances in the test matches still indicate that there is some sand in the gears. They have two wins, two losses, and one draw. They conceded eight goals against St. Petersburg (2-5) and GC Zurich (0-3) alone. Although FCS did not set the world alight away from home last season and were even the weakest away team in the Super League, I think the betting odds between FC Zurich and Sion are far too high for the visitors to pick up a point.

Based on this, an attractive match combo can be created using the double chance as a basis. For example, Betano is offering odds of 3.05 if you combine the X2 with both teams scoring. With the $20 Betano free bet, you can also reduce your own risk.

FC Zurich – Sion Head-to-head record / H2H record

The two clubs are facing each other in the Swiss top flight for the 161st time. FC Zurich has celebrated almost twice as many victories (75) as FC Sion (40). However, the last two direct duels went to the Valais side, who prevailed 2-1 at home in both February and May. Before that, there were two FCZ wins and a draw, so the H2H record for the last five encounters is even. Another factor to consider in the FC Zurich vs. Sion prediction is that at least three goals were scored in four of Zurich’s last five home matches against Tholot’s team.

FC Zurich – Sion Tip

FC Sion will fondly remember the first matchday of last season. The Valais side were clear underdogs when they traveled to reigning champions Bern and caused a huge upset with a 2-1 win on the artificial turf at the Stade Wankdorf. In 2025/26, FCS will once again be the underdog in the opening game. This time, however, they will not be as big an underdog as they were against YB. Nevertheless, coach Didier Tholot’s visitors would certainly be satisfied with a point!

After some good moves in the transfer market and considering that a lot is new for the home side and the development process under Mitchell van Gaag will probably take time, betting on Sion is definitely an option. Either with an Asian handicap (+0.75) or even with the double chance X2. Another interesting bet between FC Zurich and Sion is that there will be at least one goal in both halves. Both teams looked vulnerable defensively in their preseason games, but were quite courageous in attack. Bet-at-Home is offering odds of 1.66 for the latter recommendation, which I am betting on with five units.