YB play their penultimate match in this year's Champions League on Wednesday at Celtic Glasgow. For the Bernese, who have already failed to qualify, it's all about saying goodbye with honor.
22.01.2025, 10:00
SDA
Young Boys have done nothing in this league phase to be received with awe in a big football city. The Scottish trade pages have shown them in detail just how weak their record is. The portrait of Celtic's opponents is accompanied by statistics that will make even the Bernese fan swallow empty once again.
In the current season, YB is the worst Champions League participant with 0 points from 6 games and a goal difference of -19. Their exit after the preliminary round is already sealed, and the prospect of improving their record in Glasgow is not a rosy one. In the twelve away games in the group and league stages of the Champions League so far, the best results were two draws: 2021 at Manchester United and 2023 at Red Star Belgrade, who will be YB's last opponents in the Wankdorf next week.
A chance for Contini too
Even if the sporting value of the two remaining Champions League games is low and will be overshadowed in this respect by the visit of Grasshoppers in the Super League on Saturday, the conclusion of the league phase also offers an opportunity. The glorious atmosphere - at Celtic Park this Wednesday and at Wankdorf a week later - seems ideal for a YB restart to a season that has so far produced few encouraging results.
Giorgio Contini, who made his debut for Young Boys last weekend with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Winterthur, could make his first mark in Glasgow. A win in the Champions League is not a matter of course for a team from the Super League, and a win at Celtic Glasgow is even less so. In nine attempts, no Swiss team has ever won at the 54-time Scottish champions (8 defeats, 1 draw).
Series champions with good prospects
In Cedric Itten, Young Boys have a player in their ranks who has already won at Celtic Park. The 28-year-old made a brief cameo appearance with Glasgow Rangers in the 2-0 away win in January 2021. Back then, Rangers took a step towards the league title. It was the only league title since 2012 that did not go to Celtic. This season, the team coached by Brendan Rodgers is also clearly on course for the title with a 13-point lead over their city rivals.
Even though Celtic do not have any players of European renown in their squad, with the exception of goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, they are cutting a fine figure in the current Champions League and could make it through to the round of 16 on Wednesday evening. At Celtic Park, also known as "Paradise" due to its proximity to a cemetery, the three games so far have seen victories against Leipzig (3-1) and Slovan Bratislava (5-1) as well as a draw against FC Brugge.
It is up to Young Boys to prove the Scottish observers wrong who see the Swiss champions as the whipping boys of the Champions League. It is still not too late for the Bernese to at least do something for their reputation - and their finances. A win brings 2.1 million euros.
