The first leg of the Europa League 2025/26 qualification playoff between Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) and Young Boys (Switzerland) will take place on August 21 at the Tehelne Pole Stadium.
Slovan Bratislava vs. Young Boys: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Slovan Bratislava
The Slovak side has started from the early stages of the Champions League qualification for the 7th consecutive time. Last season, the team reached the main round of the Champions League, but in this edition, Vladimir Weiss's squad was halted in the third qualifying round by Kairat. The Bratislava team lost to the Almaty side in a penalty shootout after exchanging home wins with a score of 1-0. The club last played in the Europa League playoff round two years ago, where they were outclassed by Cyprus's Aris (2-1 and 2-6).
- The club has secured only 2 wins in regulation time in their last 14 Europa League matches (6 draws and 6 losses).
- Both teams scored in the last 5 games of Slovan in this tournament, after 90 minutes.
- At home, the team has not lost in regulation time in 11 of their last 13 Europa League matches (8 wins and 3 draws).
Predicted lineup for Slovan Bratislava (3-4-3)
Matus Macik – Filip Lichy, Danilo Ignatenko, Sidoin Fognin – Alasana Jirajang, Rahim Ibrahim, Peter Pokorny, Sharani Zubero – Mykola Kuharevich, Kelvin Ofori, Nino Marcelli.
Young Boys
The team is just starting their European campaign, having finished 3rd in their domestic league. In the past two seasons, the club began their journey from the playoff to the main round of the Champions League and reached the group stage of the tournament on both occasions. The Swiss last played in the Europa League qualification in 2020, where they defeated Tirana's Dinamo 3-0 in the playoff round. It's noteworthy that the club approaches the upcoming match with a 4-match winless streak in the Europa League (1 draw and 3 losses).
- At least two goals were scored in regulation time in the last 8 matches of Young Boys in this European competition.
- The club has not won in regulation time in 15 of their last 17 away Europa League games (8 draws and 7 losses).
- The Swiss have scored exactly 1 goal in regulation time in 8 of their last 10 away matches in this tournament.
Predicted lineup for Young Boys (4-4-2)
Marvin Keller – Saidy Janko, Gregory Wüthrich, Loris Benito, Jauen Adjam – Joel Monteiro, Ryan Raveloson, Lukas Lakomy, Alan Virginios – Darian Males, Sergio Cordova.
Referee
Sascha Stegemann (Germany)
Matches – 8 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 57;
Average yellow cards per match – 7.1;
Red cards shown – 3;
Average fouls per match – 27;
Penalties – 38%.
Match Prediction: Slovan Bratislava vs. Young Boys
In the upcoming encounter, I give a slight edge to the hosts. Bratislava plays at home, where they have decent records in the Europa League. In their last 13 matches in this tournament, the club has only lost at home to Braga and Wolverhampton. Moreover, the Slovaks have an 18-match scoring streak in home games in this European competition.
Conversely, the Swiss have struggled away from home, winning only 2 of their last 17 Europa League matches. Interestingly, if the team concedes during this period, they fail to win. Additionally, Young Boys have had a mediocre start in their domestic league, collecting only 5 points after 4 rounds and failing to win in their last 3 matches.
My prediction – Slovan Bratislava to win or draw
