Another setback for YB?
Young Boys from Bern cannot be really satisfied with their start to the season. Last year’s third-placed team has only five points to its name after four matchdays in the Swiss Super League and has therefore only won one game. It seems as if the team still needs time under its new head coach Ludovic Magnin to get back into contention for the championship in the Alpine republic. However, the development process is traditionally faster when there are successes to celebrate, which weld the team together and have a positive effect on self-confidence.
Such a success is now to be celebrated in the UEFA Europa League playoffs. In the first and second legs, the yellow and blacks will face a club that competed against Europe’s best clubs in the Champions League last season and gained a lot of experience there. It is therefore all the more surprising that the visitors are not favored to win between Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys.
I cannot confirm the Bernese team’s status as favorites in this form. On the one hand, YB is traditionally much weaker away from home than on their home turf. On the other hand, I see the Slovakian champions as absolutely equal in every respect.
Added to this is the fact that Weiss’s team has won all four competitive matches in front of their own fans so far this season. Among other things, they secured a narrow 1-0 victory against Kairat Almaty last week. However, due to the subsequent penalty shootout defeat, this was not enough to secure a place in the Champions League playoffs. However, I am far from venturing a prediction for an away win in the match between Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys. The double chance 1X therefore offers a promising basis for potential match combos, which you can put together using the Bet Builder in the Bet-at-Home app, for example.
The combination of 1X & under 4.5 goals offers odds of 1.90. If the visitors from the Swiss capital score a maximum of one goal, you can still get a solid 1.83 at Betano. However, maximum value can be found in betting that the home side will not only leave the pitch as winners, but without conceding a goal. A home win for Slovan Bratislava against Young Boys brings odds of 6.00 at Interwetten.
Slovan Bratislava – Young Boys Head-to-head record
The Slovaks’ good defensive performance on Thursday evening is supported by the fact that they have kept a clean sheet in three of their four home games so far. Young Boys also failed to score in their last league game, a 0-0 draw with Sion. The head-to-head record tips the balance in favor of the Swiss. In four European Cup matches, YB came out on top three times and did not lose a single game, with one draw. The goal difference of 11:3 is also a clear indication in favor of the yellow and black, but I am not taking this into account at all when making my prediction for the first leg of the playoff.
Slovan Bratislava – Young Boys prediction
Will Young Boys make it into the Europa League group stage? This question will be decided this Thursday and next Thursday. On paper, the third-placed team in the Super League last season has the best chances of promotion, although I see the starting position as much closer than the new betting providers do. As a 2024/25 Champions League participant and dominant force in Slovakian football, Slovan Bratislava should definitely not be underestimated. This is especially true on home turf, where they have won four out of four games so far this season, three of them without conceding a goal.
YB, meanwhile, have not got off to a good start under new coach Magnin. They have managed just one win in four league games. To make matters worse, Bern’s poor away form is a general problem. Against this backdrop, I recommend betting on Slovan Bratislava against Young Boys at odds of 1.90 for 1X & Under 4.5.
