Basel edged Olten 4:2 on Sunday in the Swiss League, extending their winning streak to three matches. The result keeps the hosts top of the table, though the points tally remains at zero as the season is still in its opening weeks. To be fair, both sides have played only a handful of games so far, so the standings tell only half the story.
Olten had already met Basel twice this month, losing 2:3 on the 22nd and winning 3:1 on the 1st. This fixture suggests the two teams are finding their rhythm quickly. By then the pattern was clear enough — high-scoring encounters with little room for error at the back.
Basel's recent form has been volatile. They beat Lax-Louise-De-Fond 4:3 on Wednesday, then lost 0:1 to the same side ten days earlier. Olten, meanwhile, came from a 3:4 defeat to TVK Innsbruck to win 4:1 against Landshut four days before that. Neither side has settled into a consistent pattern yet.
We had called for a home victory with 46 per cent confidence before kickoff. The prediction came through, though not without nerves. Basel worked the channels well enough to create chances, but Olten's own attack was far from silent. And here's the thing — it was never going to be a clean sheet for either side.
The result leaves Basel one point ahead of their nearest challenger after four games. Olten sit sixth after two matches, still searching for consistency. The goal difference tells its own tale, with both teams averaging nearly two goals per game across all fixtures.
