Heading into the final round, both Young Boys and Crvena Zvezda have lost any chance of progressing to the play-offs. The match in Bern promises to entertain neutral fans, as both sides will likely focus on attacking football.
Since November, Young Boys have seen the total goals exceed 2.5 in three of their four Champions League matches. Last week in Glasgow against Celtic (0:1), the Swiss side played with a low block, but the game still hinted at an open style with a combined xG of 2.85 and 28 total shots. With nothing left to lose, Young Boys—alongside Slovan Bratislava—are the only clubs in the group stage without a single point, giving them an incentive to salvage some pride in their final match.
Unlike their Swiss counterparts, Red Star Belgrade have a victory to their name, which they secured in a commanding 5:1 win over Stuttgart in the fifth round. The Serbian champions have epitomised attacking football in this year’s Champions League. Alongside Barcelona, Feyenoord Rotterdam, and Atlético Madrid, all seven of their matches have featured over 2.5 goals. In their last home game against PSV Eindhoven (2:3), Red Star Belgrade nearly came back from 0:3, creating 2.66 xG and attempting 21 shots.
Bookmakers slightly favour Young Boys, but Crvena Zvezda are guaranteed to create chances in attack. Both teams are expected to play openly from the start, making a high-scoring game highly probable.
