FC Stade Lausanne-Ouchy vs St. Gallen prediction 24.05.2026 | Swiss Cup

Stade Lausanne-Ouchy have spent the last two seasons hovering around the promotion picture without quite breaking through. Relegation from the top flight in 2024 hit hard, and although Les Lions steadied themselves afterward, fourth place finishes in consecutive Challenge League campaigns probably feel frustrating more than encouraging.

Still, Dalibor Stevanović’s side closed the season with real energy. A four-match unbeaten run, including three wins, gave the squad a bit of belief at exactly the right time. The semi-final victory over Grasshoppers also matters more than people think. Beating top-flight opposition tends to remove that psychological barrier before a final like this.

There are injury concerns, however. Johan Nkama remains unavailable after missing the last four matches with a knee problem. Luca Gelato, Dany Da Silva, and Edmond Akichi are also ruled out, which leaves the squad slightly thinner than Stevanović would probably like heading into such a demanding game.

St. Gallen once again finished second in the Swiss Super League, although this season felt a little less painful than the previous one. Last year, the title race slipped away by just one point. This time, the gap to the summit stretched to five points, which perhaps says more about inconsistency during the winter months than outright failure.

Peter Zeidler’s side, though, ended the campaign in strong form. Just one defeat in their last 20 matches is impressive however you frame it. The concern is defensive stability. The Espen recorded only four clean sheets during that run, and in knockout football that can become a problem very quickly.

Going forward, there is plenty to like. Alessandro Kräuchi finished the league season with 15 goals, while Aliou Baldé added 11 more and regularly stretched defences with direct running. Baldé is expected to feature despite recent fitness concerns.

Bela Dumrath is close to returning but will likely miss out again. Behar Neziri, Malamine Efekele, Cyrill May, and Nino Weibel also remain sidelined, so St. Gallen are not arriving in Bern completely untouched either.