Group G's Young Boys take on Crvena Zvezda in battle for third place.
Young Boys vs
Crvena Zvezda
In a high-stakes clash at Stadion Wankdorf, Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade both aim for their first Champions League victory of the season, as they vie for a crucial third place in Group G and a chance to extend their European campaign into the new year.
Young Boys
Young Boys will be looking to pick up their first victory in the UEFA Champions League after losing 3-1 to FC Zurich at the weekend. This was their first defeat in eight league matches in the Swiss Super League.
In UCL Group G, Young Boys are out of contention for a spot in the knockout phase, sitting in 4th place with one point. They are level with third-placed Crvena Zvezda, whom they face on Tuesday in the battle for third place.
This will be the sixth meeting between the Swiss side and Zvezda, with Young Boys having never won against the visitors [0W, 4D, 1L]. Young Boys have won three of their last five games across all competitions [WWLWL].
The Swiss champions suffered a 3-0 loss against reigning Champions League holders Manchester City on MD4. That defeat means Young Boys have the longest run without a clean sheet in the Champions League, having conceded in 16 consecutive matches.
Young Boys are seeking their first UEFA Champions League win since defeating Manchester United in September 2021 but have failed to win any of their last nine matches in the competition [0W, 3D, 6L].
Raphaël Wicky is expected to line up a 4—3—3 with Meshack Elia, Jean-Pierre Nsame, and Joël Monteiro in attack for Tuesday’s clash against Crvena Zvezda. Sandro Lauper is suspended following a red card in the game against City, while Cedric Itten is injured.
Crvena Zvezda
Third-placed Zvezda, standing at [0W, 1D, 3L], remained on one point in UCL Group G following a 1-2 loss at home to RB Leipzig on UCL Matchday 4. They will be aiming for their first win in this season’s competition to maintain hopes of playing any form of European football in February.
The visitors have not secured an away victory in the European Cup/UCL since March 1992, when they last won 2-0 against Panathinaikos. Red Star Belgrade currently have three victories from their last five matches across all competitions [DWLWW], and will be keen to record a win over Swiss opposition since their 4-1 triumph against Grasshopper Club Zurich in 1991, having since then drawn twice and lost twice [0W, 2D, 2L].
However, suffering a defeat on Tuesday would conclude Zvezda’s European journey for the season. Manager Barak Bakhar is expected to field a 3-5-2 formation with Osman Bukari and Cherif Ndiaye leading the attack against Young Boys on Tuesday.
