Young Boys vs Manchester City

Manchester City head to the Stadion Wankdorf to take on Young Boys in a lopsided Champions League match-up.

Young Boys’ hopes of avoiding a bottom-place finish, as was the case in their only previous Champions League group stage campaigns, are up in the air following an underwhelming Group G start. After a 3-1 home loss to RB Leipzig on day one, the Swiss champions had to claw their way back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to hold Red Star Belgrade to an action-packed 2-2 draw last time out. That result, however, forms part of Young Boys’ four-match undefeated streak across all competitions (W2, D2). Since three of those four matches saw Raphael Wicky’s side keep a clean sheet, the home fans will hope their team can avoid a catastrophe against the continental juggernauts. Young Boys have traditionally struggled against English opposition in Europe, recording just two wins across their ten previous H2Hs (D2, L6), suggesting another disappointing continental clash could be on the cards.

On the other hand, reigning Champions League holders Manchester City have already laid the foundation for a seventh consecutive top-table finish in the competition’s group stages with back-to-back 3-1 wins over Red Star Belgrade and RB Leipzig. Interestingly, both matches saw precisely three second-half goals, highlighting the potential for plenty of action beyond halftime. However, Pep Guardiola’s men have failed to impress in recent games despite beating Brighton 2-1 in the build-up to this trip, suffering three defeats in their last five (W2). Playing on the continental stage has proved fruitful for Man City, though, as their penalty shoot-out triumph over Sevilla in August’s UEFA Super Cup contributed to their outrageous 16-game unbeaten run in European competitions (W11, D5). It’s no surprise they come into proceedings as overwhelming pre-match favorites!