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At the start of the Swiss Cup, the Bern district club competes with YB. The reigning cup winner should be challenged.
At the start of the first round of the Swiss Cup, there will be a very special encounter on Friday evening in the city of Bern: Breitenrain from the Promotion League will compete with big brother and double winner YB. Less than one and a half kilometers separate the Spitalacker sports field (known as “Spitz”), home of FC Breitenrain, and the Wankdorf stadium, home of the Young Boys.
This is exactly where the Bern city derby will take place, although the lower-class club competes with home rights. A new artificial turf has been laid on the “Spitz” since mid-July to the beginning of September. Andri Rüegsegger, midfielder at FC Breitenrain, doesn’t just have a crying eye: “Of course we would have loved to have had the game with us. But we are also very happy that we are finally getting a new artificial turf.”
In addition, the duel will not be moved to any stadium. The big highlight awaits the Bern district club in the final stadium of the Swiss Cup against the reigning cup winner: “It will be a big party for the whole district. And of course it’s nice for us players to play in front of a lot of spectators in a stadium like this,” says Rüegsegger, looking forward to the atmosphere in Wankdorf.
It’s been 6 years since the first meeting
FC Breitenrain can look back on a remarkable cup history. In recent years, it has never gone beyond the second round, but FCB has already challenged some super league teams. 8 years ago he lost 2-0 to St. Gallen and 5 years ago he lost 4-2 to FCZ after a strong comeback.
Not surprisingly, August 12, 2017 is particularly memorable. At that time, Breitenrain, also in the 1st round, had already met YB. On the Spitalacker, filled to capacity with 6,000 spectators, the underdog lost 0:3. However, Rüegsegger remembers the “incredible festival with a bomb atmosphere”.
5 players from the current team were already there. This time it should be different, the big adversary should be challenged a little more. “We want to enjoy this game,” said coach Edvaldo Della Casa. “This is the game of the year for the whole district. And maybe, with a bit of luck, we can pull off the surprise.”
When the heart also beats for the opponent
There is not only a geographical proximity between Breitenrain and YB. The two clubs are also connected on a sporting level. Year after year, players switch from one side to the other, try to take steps towards a professional career in the YB offspring or go the opposite way to Breitenrain if they have not been given enough potential.
In this respect, it is not surprising that numerous grassroots players have donned the yellow and black jersey at some point in their career as footballers. “Many in the club have two hearts in their chests,” said Rüegsegger, explaining the special note of this encounter. But the Breitenrain players will not be squeamish about YB: the goal is to hold out for as long as possible and get the best out of it.