Ahead of the new Swiss Super League season, Grasshopper will host Schaffhausen in an exhibition match on Friday at the Letzigrund with kickoff at 4 pm.
Grasshopper Zurich struggled on their return to the top flight last season, winning only a fourth of their league games. They ended the season with 40 points from 36 games, avoiding relegation thanks to a better goal difference than Luzern.
The Grasshoppers will now hope to perform more impressively next season, and the team has already begun preparations for the coming campaign. The Grasshoppers will also face fellow Swiss outfit Yverdon Sport and Bundesliga side Koln before their league campaign kicks off next month.
Meanwhile, Schaffhausen failed to secure promotion from the Challenge League last season. After losing 2-1 to Aarau in their penultimate league game, which saw them surrender top spot in the table, they faced Luzern in a two-legged playoff tie for a Swiss Super League spot. They lost 4-2 on aggregate.
Although the visitors were disappointed to have missed out on promotion last season, they will head into the new season with confidence, as they look to end their 15-year exile from the top flight.
The Grasshoppers have not won a match at home in their last eight games against FC Basel, with four straight clean sheets prior to that.The Grasshoppers had the second-worst home record in the Swiss Super League last season, picking up 21 points from 18 games, with only relegated Lausanne-Sport registering a lesser points tally.
Grasshoper vs Schaffhausen Head to Head
Both sides have 30 games against each other with hosts taking 13 wins while visitors with six wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Young Boys 3-0 Grasshoper
- Grasshoper 3-2 Gallen
- Basel 1-1 Grasshoper
- Grasshoper 0-1 FC Sion
- FC Lugano 1-1 Grasshoper
Away
- FC Luzern 2-0 Schaffhausen
- Schaffhausen 2-2 Luzern
- FC Stade 1-2 Schaffhausen
- Schaffhausen 0-1 FC Aarau
- FC Thun 2-5 Schaffhausen
Grasshoper Team News
Grasshopper picked up just one win in their final five games of the season, but they lost just one of their final four home games. They will look to capitalise on their home advantage when they take on FC Basel in Friday’s league fixture.
Schaffhausen Team News
In contrast, Schaffhausen closed out their campaign with back-to-back scoreless outings, failing to win consecutive games for the first time this year. Their latest result ended a seven-game unbeaten run on away turf, so they will fancy their chances at home on Friday.
Prediction and Odds
There is nothing at stake in this week’s match, so the Grasshoppers should win.
- Home Win
- Goals Under 2.5
- First Half: 0-0
