Lugano are expected to line up in their usual 3-4-2-1, a shape that gives them width and numbers in midfield. The confirmed lineup from their recent league outing shows a back three of Papadopoulos, Mai, and Bichsel, with Zanotti and Alioski bombing on as wing-backs. That is a setup built to overload the flanks and feed the front men. The double pivot of Grgic and Bislimi gives them control, while Dos Santos and Moncada operate in those half-spaces behind Steffen. They will look to knife through Maccabi's lines with quick, vertical passes.

Maccabi, expected in a 4-3-3, will likely sit deeper and try to hit on the break. But with so many key men missing, their pressing trap is less likely to be coordinated. Their midfield will be stretched by Lugano's wing-backs, and the back four will have to deal with constant crosses and runners from deep. The away side will try to keep it compact, but the quality gap in the final third is glaring. Lugano's set-piece threat, with Alioski's delivery, is another weapon. This is a game where the home side should dominate territory and chances.