Hot starting position on the last matchday Will Basel, of all teams, spoil Young Boys' Europa League soup?
Stephan Lichtsteiner's first match as FCB coach is an extremely important one. Basel must beat Viktoria Pilsen on the final matchday of the Europa League phase and hope for some help. Possibly from Stuttgart of all teams, who are playing against YB.
Stephan Lichtsteiner puts it in a nutshell in an interview with blue Sport the day before his debut as FC Basel coach: "We absolutely have to win and then see what the others do."
A win alone will not be enough for FCB to advance to the knockout phase. Ahead of the final matchday in the league phase, the Beebbi are in 27th place with 6 points (goal difference: -3), while Celtic - in 24th place - are 2 points away.
Ludogorets Razgrad (7 points, -4) and Feyenoord Rotterdam (6 points, -3) lie between the two teams. Salzburg also still have a realistic chance of progressing (6 points, -4). Lille, Brann Bergen and Young Boys are still trembling above the line with 9 points each.
The starting position for FC Basel
In addition to FCB's victory, several teams will have to "slip up" for Basel to finish in the top 24. The Bebbi will have to hope that YB lose in Stuttgart, among other things.
FCB will progress if they win against Pilsen and at least 6 of the following 9 scenarios occur:
- Young Boys lose against VfB Stuttgart.
- Celtic Glasgow do not win against Utrecht.
- Ludogorets Razgrad do not win against Nice.
- Brann Bergen lose to Sturm Graz and score fewer goals than Basel.
- Lille lose against Freiburg and FCB make up for their five-goal goal difference.
- Salzburg do not win against Aston Villa (or do not make up for the one goal worse goal difference).
- Feyenoord do not win against Betis Sevilla (or Basel end up with the better goal difference).
- FCSB do not win against Fenerbahce Istanbul (or Basel end up with the better goal difference).
- Go Ahead Eagles do not win against Sporting Braga (or Basel have the better goal difference in the end).
The starting position for Young Boys
The math is a little simpler for YB: If the Bernese win in Stuttgart, they are in the knockout phase. If there is a draw, YB will have to hope that one of Celtic (against Utrecht) and Ludogorets (against Nice) gets three points - or that Lille (against Freiburg) or Brann Bergen (against Sturm Graz) do not win. If the Bernese win in Stuttgart, the chances are very good.
Things only get complicated if YB lose. In theory, however, Gerardo Seoane's team could still progress.
YB will progress despite losing in Stuttgart if at least 6 of the following 9 scenarios occur:
- FC Basel fail to win against Viktoria Pilsen.
- Celtic Glasgow lose against Utrecht.
- Ludogorets Razgrad do not win against Nice.
- Salzburg fail to win against Aston Villa.
- Feyenoord Rotterdam do not win against Betis Sevilla.
- FCSB fail to win against Fenerbahce Istanbul.
- Brann Bergen lose to Sturm Graz by at least four goals more than YB lose to Stuttgart.
- Lillle lose to Freiburg by at least seven goals more than YB lose to Stuttgart.
- Go Ahead Eagles do not win against Braga or cannot make up for the currently worse goal difference compared to YB.