Preview: St Gallen vs Sion - prediction, team news, lineups

St Gallen look to close out their home schedule for 2025 on a strong note, as they welcome Sion to Kybunpark in round 18 of the Swiss Super League on Tuesday evening.

The hosts enter this encounter in buoyant mood after securing a hard-fought away victory over leaders Thun, while confidence is also high in the visitors’ camp, following three consecutive wins across all competitions.

Match preview

St Gallen made the most of their opportunity in Saturday’s top-of-the-table clash, emerging 2-0 winners in Thun to close the gap at the summit.

In a tightly contested encounter where both sides combined for 19 shots, Espen’s solid defending and clinical finishing proved decisive, as Aliou Balde opened the scoring midway through the first half before Carlo Boukhalfa sealed the victory with a penalty in the 77th minute.

The hosts have now won three of their last five league games (D1, L1) since returning from the international break, having lost consecutive matches prior, and this upturn has seen them reduce their deficit at the top of the Super League pre-split standings to three points.

Victory in their remaining two fixtures of 2025, coupled with favourable results elsewhere, could see Espen enter the winter break at the summit, and they can be optimistic of clearing the first hurdle, having won two of their last three encounters with Sion at Kybunpark (D1), including a 1-0 success last term.

However, five wins in nine league outings at the ground (L4) suggest St Gallen have struggled to find consistency on their own turf this season, though they will hope their pattern of alternating wins and defeats across the last eight comes into play, having lost to Zurich in their most recent home fixture.

Sion have also experienced inconsistency on the road, taking maximum points in only two of their six league away matches, though the visitors have been resilient, with their sole defeat in that sequence coming against leaders Thun.

Didier Tholot's men enter this encounter following back-to-back home victories, starting with a 2-0 win over Young Boys before grinding out a 1-0 success against Basel, with Benjamin Kololli converting a penalty in the 43rd minute.

Now unbeaten in their last five league outings (W2, D3) and six across all competitions (W3, D3), Les Sedunois have accumulated 24 points from 17 matches, one more than they had at the same stage last season.

Looking to make it three successive wins in the Swiss top flight, Sion can draw inspiration from their most recent meeting with St Gallen, having claimed a 3-2 victory at Stade de Tourbillon in October.

St Gallen Swiss Super League form:

St Gallen form (all competitions):

Sion Swiss Super League form:

Sion form (all competitions):

Team News

St Gallen midfielder Boukhalfa will miss this game due to suspension from accumulation of bookings, leaving head coach Enrico Maassen to adjust his attack after losing one of his joint top scorers, who has eight goals this term.

Chima Okoroji is also unavailable for the same reason, which could see Christian Witzig move deeper into a left-wing-back role, especially with Enoch Owusu ruled out through a hamstring injury.

This opens the door for joint top scorer Alessandro Vogt to return in attack alongside Balde, who should earn a second consecutive start following his impactful performance at the weekend.

Tiemoko Ouattara and Betim Fazliji remain sidelined with injury, while Stephen Ambrosius is a doubt after missing the last three outings.

Sion midfielder Baltazar was forced off during Saturday’s win over Grasshopper, leaving his participation on Tuesday in doubt.

Meanwhile, Josias Lukembila is set to miss a second consecutive outing through injury, while Altin Shala remains sidelined with a long-term knee problem.

St Gallen possible starting lineup:

Ati-Zigi; Stanic, Neziri, Gaal; Daschner; Vandermersch, Gortler, Stevanovic, Okoroji; Vogt, Balde

Sion possible starting lineup:

Racioppi; Lavanchy, Hajrizi, Kronig, Hefti; Kabacalman, Chipperfield; Chouaref, Rrudhani, Nivokazi; Kololli

We say: St Gallen 1-1 Sion

St Gallen’s unconvincing form at home, coupled with the loss of key players to suspension, could make it difficult for them to claim all three points.

Meanwhile, Sion’s inconsistent record on the road, with half of their six league away matches ending in draws, points to a similar outcome here.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.