User:Huligan0/1978–79 FC Basel season

The Fussball Club Basel 1893 1978–79 season was their 85th season since the club was founded. It was their 33rd consecutive season in the top flight of Swiss football after they won promotion during the season 1945–46. They played their home games in the St. Jakob Stadium.

Overview
Helmut Benthaus was first team manager for the thirteenth consecutive season. Basel played in the 1978–79 Nationalliga A They ended the qualification round in fourth position and finished the Championship Group in sixth position with 18 points, 17 behind championship winners Servette. They scored a total of 54 goals conceding 53 in 32 games. Detlev Lauscher was the teams top goal scorer with 10 league goals.

In the first round of the Swiss Cup Basel were drawn against FC Glattbrugg and this was the first time that these two teams had played against each other. The game was played on 7 October 1978 and Basel won 7–0. In the second round Basel were drawn away to Zürich and in the third round away against Xamax. In the first round of the Swiss League Cup Basel were drawn against Grenchen. In a two legged affair, winning the home game and losing away game, Basel won 4–3 on aggregate. Basel won in the round of 32 against Nordstern Basel, in the quarter-final against Luzern and in the semi-final against Xamax to reach the final, which was played on 5 May 1979 against Servette. After extra time the score was 2–2, but Servette won 4–3 on penalties.

In the 1978–79 UEFA Cup Basel were drawn against VfB Stuttgart. The first game was lost 2–3 in St. Jakob Stadium and the away game in the Neckarstadion was lost 1–4. VfB Stuttgart won 7–3 on aggregate and continued to the second round.

In the Coppa delle Alpi (to english Cup of the Alps) Basel played with Stade de Reims and Sochaux in Group B together with Lausanne-Sport. Lausanne-Sport won the group and thus played in the final only to lose this against the winners of group A, Servette FC, 4–0.

Swiss League Cup

 * Round of 32

Basel won 4–3 on aggregate

Servette won 4–3 on penalties

UEFA Cup

 * First round

VfB Stuttgart won 7–3 on aggregate.

Coppa delle Alpi

 * Group B

NB: teams did not play compatriots

NB: 1 bonus point awarded for victory by 3 or more goals
 * Group table

Sources and references

 * Rotblau: Jahrbuch Saison 2015/2016. Publisher: FC Basel Marketing AG. ISBN 978-3-7245-2050-4
 * Switzerland 1978–79 at RSSSF
 * Swiss League Cup at RSSSF
 * Cup of the Alps 1978 at RSSSF