The second leg of the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 qualifying playoff between Young Boys (Switzerland) and Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) will take place on August 28 at the Stade de Suisse in Bern. The first match ended 1-0 in favor of Young Boys. Young Boys vs. Slovan Bratislava: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Young Boys
The Swiss side took a confident step towards advancing to the main stage of the Europa League. In a balanced game in Slovakia, the team scored an early goal, which proved to be the only one in the first leg. Prior to this, the club had not won in this European competition for four matches (1 draw and 3 losses). Incidentally, the last time Young Boys played in the autumn stage of this tournament was in the 2020/21 season. In the return leg, a draw will suffice for the hosts.
- No more than 3 goals have been scored in regular time in 5 of the club's last 6 Europa League matches.
- Young Boys have not scored more than 1 goal in their last five matches in this tournament.
- The team's uncompromising streak in this European competition stands at 12 games (7 wins and 5 losses).
Projected lineup for Young Boys (5-3-2)
Marvin Keller – Saidy Janko, Tanguy Zoukrou, Loris Benito, Jauan Hadjam, Edimilson Fernandes – Armin Gigovic, Ryan Raveloson, Darian Males – Joel Monteiro, Chris Bedia.
Slovan Bratislava
Vladimir Weiss's side failed to capitalize on the support of their fans and lost the first leg 0-1. Now, to reach the main round of the Europa League, the club needs to win by at least two goals. If Bratislava wins by one goal, extra time will be played. It is worth noting that in their last 8 Europa League matches, the Slovaks have only secured 1 victory in 90 minutes (4 draws and 3 losses).
- A maximum of 3 goals were scored in regular time in 6 of Slovan's last 8 matches in this tournament.
- Both teams scored in regular time in 5 of Bratislava's last 6 matches in this European competition.
- The Slovaks have not won in 90 minutes in 8 of their last 9 away matches in the Europa League (3 draws and 5 losses).
Projected lineup for Slovan Bratislava (5-4-1)
Dominik Takac – Guram Kashia, Kevin Wimmer, Kenan Bajric, Sandro Cruz, Cesar Blackman – Danilo Ignatenko, Peter Pokorny, Rash Rahim Ibrahim, Tigran Barseghyan – David Strelec.
Referee
Rade Obrenovic (Slovenia)
Matches – 12 (International matches, 2024/2025 – 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 62;
Average yellow cards per match – 5.2;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 23;
Penalties – 17%.
Match Prediction: Young Boys vs. Slovan Bratislava
In the first encounter, the teams did not create many chances, as indicated by the xG metric, which was 0.70:0.72 in favor of the Swiss. The visitors were more fortunate, scoring the only goal of the match. It is likely that the return leg will also be low-scoring, as both teams understand they are just one step away from the main stage of the Europa League, and a single mistake could be decisive.
Young Boys have not impressed with their scoring, failing to score more than 1 goal in their last five matches in this European competition. Also, note that a maximum of 3 goals have been scored in 12 of the club's last 14 home games in the Europa League. Bratislava has not scored two or more goals in 5 of their last 7 away matches in this tournament, and no more than three goals have been scored in 6 of their last 8 Europa League games.
My prediction: Total under 3 goals
