Barcelona vs Young Boys

Barcelona will look to get into the win column for the first time in the 202425 UEFA Champions League season when they take on out-of-sorts Young Boys at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

Hansi Flick’s honeymoon period in charge of Barcelona suffered a catastrophic end last weekend as Osasuna thrashed his experimental line-up 4-2, knocking them down from a 100% La Liga start (W7). After taking ‘full’ responsibility for his side’s slump at El Sadar, Flick will be keen to atone against Young Boys, especially after his 10-man side lost 2-1 at Monaco in the opening Champions League round. That was Barcelona’s fourth defeat across their last eight outings at Europe’s top table (W3, D1) and a third in a row to see them concede at least two goals. Therefore, anything other than three points against the Swiss outfit could prove detrimental to Barca’s quest to secure automatic knockout qualification. Los Blaugranas infamously succumbed to a 4-2 defeat to PSG in their last home outing in the Champions League, relinquishing a four-match winning streak on this ground beforehand.

Meanwhile, Young Boys’ underwhelming start to their title defense in the Swiss Super League took another hit last weekend as a 1-0 home loss to Grasshoppers marked their fourth defeat in the opening eight rounds (W1, D3). Manager Patrick Rahmen is under heavy pressure to deliver a positive result in Young Boys’ first trip to the Iberian Peninsula to take on La Liga opposition since a 2-0 loss at Villarreal in the 2021/22 Champions League group phase. That was their third consecutive away defeat on Spanish soil, suggesting the Swiss giants’ bid to bounce back from a 3-0 thumping at the hands of Young Boys on matchday one is nothing more than wishful thinking.