Barcelona vs Young Boys Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 UEFA Champions League | League Phase
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It has been a magnificent start to La Liga for Barcelona but they will be looking to bounce back from defeat to Monaco a couple of weeks ago as they welcome Swiss champions Young Boys to Catalonia this week.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Tuesday 1st October, 2024 - UK – 8:00pm / US ET – 3:00pm / US PT – 12:00pm
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TNT Sports / US – Not televised
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – TNT Sports / US – Paramount+
BARCELONA PREVIEW: BRILLIANT BLAUGRANA
Hansi Flick was appointed Barcelona boss this summer with the treble winner at Bayern Munich expected to get the Blaugrana back competing in the UEFA Champions League. They have started the season really well in La Liga with six successive victories to begin the campaign before a 4-2 defeat to Osasuna at El Sadar at the weekend.
That defeat to Osasuna was their third poor performance in four matches, though, after beginning their UEFA Champions League season with that aforementioned defeat to Monaco before then managing to only edge past quite a poor Getafe side by a goal to nil at the Estadi Olympic Lluis Companys.
YOUNG BOYS PREVIEW: THE WEAK YOUNG BOYS
Young Boys reclaimed the Swiss title last season, despite the late season sacking of Raphael Wicky and appointment of former Basel boss Patrick Rahmen. They managed to overcome Galatasaray in a surprise two-legged victory in the playoffs of the UEFA Champions League last month but that has not been reflective of their form so far this season.
In the defence of their Swiss Super League title, Young Boys have started with just one victory in their opening eight matches as they currently sit second-bottom in the Super League, above Rahmen’s former club Winterthur. They started their UEFA Champions League league phase season with a 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa in Berne a couple of weeks ago.
BARCELONA TEAM NEWS: PLENTY OF ISSUES
Marc-Andre ter Stegen is missing for Barcelona after suffering a genuinely awful injury, a complete rupture of his patella tendon, against Villarreal about ten days or so ago.
He joins a very long Barcelona injury list that still consists of the likes of Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi and summer signing from RB Leipzig, Dani Olmo.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Raphinha, Torres; Lewandowski
UNAVAILABLE: Ter Stegen (Injured), Christensen (Injured), Ronald Araujo (Injured), Eric Garcia (Suspended), Marc Bernal (Injured), Fermin Lopez (Injured), Dani Olmo (Injured), De Jong (Injured), Gavi (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
YOUNG BOYS TEAM NEWS: DEFENSIVE ISSUES
Young Boys have a few defensive injury issues to deal with for this week with Switzerland international Loris Benito still sidelined alongside Patric Pfeiffer and Saidy Janko.
The expectation is that the Swiss champions play an exceptionally low block simply to avoid their already damaged goal difference taking even more of a hammering.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Von Ballmoos; Athekame, Camara, Zoukrou, Hadjam; Niasse, Lauper; Monteiro, Ugrinic, Colley; Ganvoula
UNAVAILABLE: Benito (Injured), Pfeiffer (Injured), Janko (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
KEY STATS
- This is the first UEFA competition match between these two teams.
- Barcelona have won three and drawn one of their previous four UEFA competition matches against Swiss teams.
- A defeat for Barcelona would see them lose three successive European Cup/UEFA Champions League matches for the first time.
- Barcelona have kept only two clean sheets in their last 22 UEFA competition matches.
- Only two of Barcelona’s last 44 UEFA competition matches finished without a goal being scored.
- Young Boys have won their last four away matches in all competitions.
- Young Boys have lost four and drawn one of their last five UEFA competition matches against Spanish teams.
- Young Boys have lost four of their previous five UEFA competition matches away from home against Spanish teams (W1). Their only success was a 1-0 win against Athletic Club in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.
- Young Boys have never won away from home in the UEFA Champions League competition proper (D2 L7).
- Young Boys have won only one of their last 12 matches in the UEFA Champions League competition proper (D3 L8).
BARCELONA VS YOUNG BOYS PREDICTION
Barcelona have been a lot more impressive than was to be expected at such an early stage in the Hansi Flick reign and the Blaugrana remain a very strong team but the level of their performances have declined with injuries mounting up. They face a Young Boys side that appear in absolute disarray in Switzerland as well as potentially the weakest side in the UEFA Champions League this season. A heavy Barca win is to be expected at the Olympic Stadium.
BARCELONA VS YOUNG BOYS TIP: BARCELONA TO WIN -1 HANDICAP
