The Matchday 1 clash of the Europa League 2025/26 group stage between Young Boys (Switzerland) and Panathinaikos (Greece) will take place on September 25 at the Stade de Suisse in Bern. Young Boys vs. Panathinaikos: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Young Boys
The Swiss team finished third in their domestic league last season, earning a spot in the Europa League group stage playoffs. Giorgio Contini's side defeated Slovan Bratislava in both legs (1-0 and 3-2). A year ago, the club competed in the Champions League group stage but did not advance. The last time Young Boys participated in the Europa League group stage was in 2020, where they earned 10 points and reached the round of 16.
- Young Boys have not lost in regular time in 9 of their last 13 Europa League matches (7 wins and 2 draws).
- At least 3 goals were scored in 8 of their last 9 home matches in this tournament.
- Both teams scored in 4 of the last 5 home games for the Swiss side in this European competition.
Predicted lineup for Young Boys (4-4-2)
Marvin Keller – Loris Benito, Jauan Hadjam, Sandro Lauper, Ryan Andrews – Edimilson Fernandes, Ryan Raveloson, Darian Males, Ebrima Colley – Christian Fassnacht, Chris Bedia.
Panathinaikos
The Greek team finished second in their domestic league, earning a spot in the second qualifying round of the Champions League. However, they were eliminated by Rangers. In the Europa League qualifiers, they overcame Shakhtar Donetsk (0-0 in both matches, winning 4-3 on penalties) and Samsunspor (2-1 and 0-0). The last time Panathinaikos played in the Europa League group stage was two years ago, but they did not advance.
- Panathinaikos are unbeaten in regular time in their last 5 matches in this tournament (2 wins and 3 draws).
- At least one team failed to score in 6 of Panathinaikos's last 7 Europa League matches.
- The club has not conceded in regular time in their last 4 away matches in this European competition.
Predicted lineup for Panathinaikos (4-2-3-1)
Alban Lafont – Sverrir Ingi Ingason, Giannis Kotsiras, Filip Mladenovic, Tin Jedvaj – Adriano Bregu, Emmanouil Siopis – Martins Tete, Vicente Taborda, Anass Zaroury – Cyriel Dessers.
Referee
Ricardo de Burgos (Spain)
Matches – 10 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 25;
Average yellow cards per match – 2.5;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 20;
Penalties – 40%.
Young Boys vs. Panathinaikos: Match Prediction
I anticipate that the upcoming match is unlikely to be high-scoring, primarily due to Panathinaikos's style of play in this European season. The Greeks have played 6 matches across two European competitions this summer, with only one game featuring more than two goals.
Additionally, Panathinaikos tends to focus on defense when playing away. The team recorded 0-0 draws in their last two away European matches and failed to score in 3 away games this European season. Moreover, Young Boys have only scored more than one goal in one of their last 6 Europa League matches.
My prediction: Total under 2.5 goals
