Young Boys face FC Barcelona in the Champions League. blue Sport spoke to coach Patrick Rahmen and midfielder Sandro Lauper ahead of their departure.
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- Young Boys will face FC Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday at 9pm. The game can be seen live on blue Sport, as can all games in the top flight.
- Before leaving Bern, blue Sport spoke to coach Patrick Rahmen: "We know that they are one of the top teams in Europe."
- Midfielder Sandro Lauper says: "The chances of even meeting Barcelona are slim, so it's a shame that the stadium is being renovated."
The start to the new Super League season has not gone according to plan for Young Boys. With just six points from eight games, the Bernese are in second-last place. They suffered a 1-0 defeat against Grasshoppers at the weekend, and coach Patrick Rahmen admits: "That was completely unsatisfactory." The start to the championship was unsuccessful and will keep them busy for some time to come. But the focus is now on one of the highlights of the season. On Tuesday, YB will face the great FC Barcelona in the Champions League: "It's a different starting position, we can now measure ourselves against the best," says Rahmen.
Rahmen also knows that the role of the favorites is clearly distributed, but states: "It always has to be played first. Of course we know their strength and that they are one of the top teams in Europe. But we're still confident going to Barcelona and want to put in a top performance."
When asked how they intend to break Barcelona down, Rahmen explained: "Defensively, we have to keep the spaces tight. We must not give them any opportunities for their combination play. But we still have to try to be brave ourselves when we have possession and try to get into transition phases."
Sandro Lauper: "We don't see it as a journey, we see it as an opportunity"
Before departing for Bern, midfielder Sandro Lauper also answers questions from blue Sport. The 27-year-old describes himself as a Barça sympathizer and therefore thinks it is a shame that the game is not taking place at the Camp Nou, which is currently being renovated. "I would have loved to have played at Camp Nou. The chances of ever meeting Barcelona are slim, so it's a shame that the stadium is being renovated. But at the end of the day, you play against Barcelona in Barcelona, which is certainly a highlight."
Lauper is of course also aware that the game against Barça will be difficult: "They show weekend after weekend that they have a great team together. With Lamine Yamal, they also have probably the most exciting talent in football."
