FC Thun begin Champions League quest against Dinamo Zagreb as Privitelli makes competitive debut
The Swiss title holders start their European campaign at a sold-out Visana Stadion on Tuesday evening (20:00), with new coach Gian-Luca Privitelli chasing a shock against the Croatian double winners.
A new coach and a changed squad
Thun will take to the field on Tuesday with a fresh face on the bench. Gian-Luca Privitelli, a former Thun youth coach and Switzerland U-20 national team manager, has replaced Mauro Lustrinelli, who departed for Union Berlin. The 48-year-old’s first competitive match is a Champions League second-round qualifier, and the squad he inherits has lost several pillars of last season’s championship drive: Leonardo Bertone, Kastriot Imeri, Elmin Rastoder and Ethan Meichtry have all moved on. Privitelli acknowledged the turnover but said the players had embraced his more participatory style. “I have benefited enormously from this family atmosphere and my staff,” he stated ahead of the fixture. “I noticed that although the players are champions, they still want to know more and learn more.” The coach has put a tactical emphasis on breaking the first pressing line and believes Thun can compete.
Zagreb’s firepower
Dinamo Zagreb arrive after a campaign in which they scored 93 goals in 36 league rounds on their way to a domestic double. The main threat is striker Dion Beljo, who netted 31 of those goals in the Croatian top flight, finishing as the league’s top scorer and attracting interest from larger clubs (Dinamo have said he is not for sale). Across all competitions last season, the 24-year-old found the net 38 times. Zagreb will, however, be without Luka Stojkovic for both legs. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder collected a red card in the final match of Dinamo’s 2025/26 Europa League playoff campaign, a suspension that carries over. Stojkovic contributed 13 goals and 12 assists in 42 appearances last term, a creative gap coach Mario Kovacevic must fill. Still, Zagreb’s squad includes promising talents such as Spanish U-21 centre-back Sergi Dominguez, who joined from Barcelona a year ago, and Scottish international Scott McKenna.
- UEFA draw sets Thun or Dinamo Zagreb against KI Klaksvik or Kauno Zalgiris in the third qualifying round.
- First leg: FC Thun vs Dinamo Zagreb at Visana Stadion (20:00).
- Second leg: Dinamo Zagreb vs FC Thun.
- Potential third qualifying round first leg against Klaksvik or Zalgiris.
- Potential third qualifying round second leg.
The game plan
Thun captain Marco Bürki showed no nerves. “We scouted Beljo,” he said. “He is a big player, but we have our own tools. We know his strong foot and his weaker foot.” Privitelli wants his side to impose high intensity and force errors. “We want to stress Zagreb. We will try to disrupt their build-up,” he said, describing the visitors as a modern 4-3-3 side that seeks technical solutions from the back.
We want to stress Zagreb.
About 1,000 Dinamo supporters are expected in the Visana Stadion, which is sold out. Bürki dismissed pressure: “I feel none. I don’t get the impression we are tense as a team. We have earned this and we can only win.”
Old memories and what waits beyond
Thun’s last Champions League adventure, 21 years ago, ended with a famous 1-0 group-stage victory over Arsenal on 14 September 2005, sealed by a Nelson Ferreira strike. Ferreira is now Privitelli’s assistant, and the squad draws confidence from that history. “We saw last season that anything is possible,” Bürki said.
I think nobody doubts that we can do it.
If Thun pull off an upset over two legs, their next hurdle is already known. Monday’s draw paired the winner of this tie with either KI Klaksvik of the Faroe Islands or Lithuania’s Kauno Zalgiris. Those third qualifying round ties would be played on 4 or 5 August (first leg) and 11 August (second leg). For now, the focus is on the 180 minutes that will define whether the Bernese club can repeat the fairy tale of 2005.
