A week after the 7-0 first‑leg demolition in Poland, this play‑off return is effectively a dead rubber. Both managers have responded with mass rotation — Thun make seven changes from their usual eleven, Lech six — robbing the contest of its normal tactical rhythm. The home side c…
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Sign inFC Thun welcome Lech Poznan to Stockhorn Arena on Thursday, 27 August 2026, for the second leg of their UEFA Europa League play-off tie. The Swiss champions face a near-impossible task after a 7-0 demolition in Poznan a week ago, but they will be desperate to restore some pride in front of their home crowd.
Thun will be without centre-back Genis Montolio (cruciate ligament) for the rest of the year, while defensive midfielder Mattias Kait misses out with a muscle injury. Marco Bürki and Jan Bamert are set to continue at the heart of defence, with Justin Roth partnering Nassim Zoukit in midfield. Forward Marc Gutbub was forced off in the first leg and is a doubt, with his availability to be assessed.
Lech Poznan's attack is significantly depleted. Captain and top scorer Mikael Ishak is expected to miss the second leg after suffering a grade-one hamstring injury on 18 August, with the club estimating a three-week absence. Winger Patrik Wålemark, who scored twice in the first half in Poznan, was stretchered off before the break and is also a doubt. Ali Gholizadeh is a long-term absentee with a cruciate knee injury. Leo Bengtsson (foot) and Filip Jagiello (muscle) are working towards fitness but may not be risked. Luis Palma, Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, and Pablo Rodríguez are likely to be the attacking threats for Lech.
Lech Poznan blew Thun away inside 31 minutes at Enea Stadion. Wålemark struck on 10 and 25 minutes, either side of Sayyadmanesh’s close-range finish. Centre-back Michał Skrzypczak headed a fourth before Radosław Murawski made it 5-0 on the stroke of half-time. Substitute Daniel Håkans added a sixth shortly after the restart, and Robert Gumny completed the scoring in the 79th minute. Thun thought they had a consolation when Fabio Dursun found the net, but VAR intervened to rule it out.
Thun’s domestic campaign has been inconsistent — three wins, four defeats, and a draw from eight Swiss Super League outings — yet their Europa League home form offers a glimmer of hope. A 3-0 victory over Viking FK in the previous round at Stockhorn Arena was enough to overturn a narrow away defeat and secure a 5-3 aggregate success. They have scored three goals in each of their last two home European ties, and head coach Mauro Lustrinelli will demand a reaction after the Poznan humiliation.
Lech Poznan are on a four-match winning streak and have kept three consecutive clean sheets. They reached the UEFA Conference League round of 16 last season but suffered heartbreak at this Europa League play-off stage a year ago, losing to a late goal. Niels Frederiksen’s men will be determined to avoid a repeat, even with a huge cushion. Despite their injury woes, the Polish champions possess enough quality to maintain control.
With Ishak and likely Wålemark absent, Thun’s backline — marshalled by Bürki and Bamert — will contend with a reshuffled Lech front three likely featuring Palma, Sayyadmanesh, and perhaps Håkans or Rodríguez. The Swiss side conceded seven in the first leg but can take heart from their clean sheet at home against Viking. Avoiding an early collapse will be vital if they are to salvage any respect.
Whatever the outcome, Lech Poznan are on the brink of the Europa League league phase, while Thun will hope to use this European campaign as a learning experience for future continental adventures. The second leg kicks off at 20:00 local time in Thun.
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