Leonard Grazioli Enters Semi-Finals as Favorite with Scout

After the holidays, Scout Winterthur faces one of the most vital games of the season. In the cup semi-finals, the team around Sissacher goalie Leonard Grazioli will face BSV Stans – with the final within reach and the memory of a arduous preseason.

Luana Güntert

Mr. Grazioli, on December 27th you will play with scout Winterthur in the semi-finals of the Swiss Cup.You eliminated yoru former club HSC Suhr Aarau in the quarterfinals. How special was this game for you? Leonard Grazioli: I always enjoy playing against Aarau, even in the championship. I still know a few players from before, which is of course cool. But these duels are no longer that special – I’ve been away from Aargau for more than three years now, and everyday life at Scout has long been my focus.

A year ago, Pfadi was already in the cup semi-finals, but then lost to Wacker Thun.What do you want to do better this time? The starting position is entirely different than last season. A lot of things weren’t going well back then, especially in the championship. In the cup, we only met an NLA opponent for the first time in the semi-finals. We have already eliminated two strong teams this season. We are considered favorites in the semi-final against BSV Stans from the National League B – but anything can happen in the cup. What is crucial is that we are focused right from the start and accept our role as favorites.

You mention last season: Scout only avoided the play-outs thanks to a competitor’s voluntary relegation. The team is currently in second place in the Nati A. What has changed? We had extreme bad luck with injuries last season. At times we were missing six or seven players at the same time, including important players. We hardly have these worries at the moment. We have also become substantially more stable as a team. The mix is right: young players who were still inexperienced at the time have taken a big step.we also fit together very well as people – you can tell that on the field.

Does the approach in the cup differ from that in the Championship? Basically not. The opponent is analyzed st