Crvena zvezda – Young Boys : Preview & Prediction
Red Star Belgrade will be proud of their efforts in their return to UEFA Champions League (UCL) action last time out, taking a surprise first-half lead against reigning champions Manchester City. Unfortunately for the Serbian side, City rallied in the second half to secure a 3-1 victory, but that performance, plus a 1-0 win in their only domestic match since, could inspire confidence as they look for their first UCL group stage win since a 3-0 home triumph over Olympiacos in October 2019.
All other group stage matches that year ended in defeats without Red Star being able to score, illustrating how much of a challenge this competition can be for the Serbian side. However, since then they have lost only two of their nine home games in the group stage of European competitions (all in the Europa League – G6, E1) and will probably see the visit of Young Boys as a much more affordable opportunity to win.
Coincidentally, Young Boys’ UCL opener also ended in a 3-1 defeat, but theirs was at home to RB Leipzig. Two wins and one loss in their three league matches since then indicate that they are not running at full steam at the moment and they also have an undesirable winless record against teams from Serbia (E4, P2) – four of those duels were against Red Star in the 2004/05 and 2019/20 seasons (E3, P1).
Despite that record, it is worth noting that the Swiss champions have rarely been intimidated in their recent appearances on rival soil in European competition as, including qualifying matches, they have not conceded a goal in four European away games. In fact, only Villarreal and Ferencváros have managed to score more than one goal against them in their matches away from their home stadium in the last three campaigns (G4, E4, P2).
Players to watch: Red Star’s Osman Bukari scored his goal against Manchester City on matchday one, and his other three official goals this season have all been recorded in wins in which his side kept a clean sheet. Meschack Elia’s goal for Young Boys on matchday one was one of two this season that opened the scoring for his side in eventual defeats.
Key stat: Red Star are unbeaten in their last 21 home matches in all competitions (G19, E2).
Crvena zvezda – Young Boys : Betting Tips
Crvena zvezda – Win Odds: 2.25
