Celtic vs Young Boys prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – League phase betting tips on match 2025-01-21 20:00.
[p]Currently cruising to what will likely be a 55th Scottish Championship, Celtic make their return to UEFA Champions League (UCL) action where they will try to keep a place in the competition’s play-off places. They’re there thanks to a four-game UCL unbeaten run (W1, D3), which is a vast improvement for a side that finished bottom of their section in four of their last five UCL campaigns. [/p]
[p]Playing at home should provide a huge boost for Celtic, who haven’t been defeated here in any competition since 2023! Over a year unbeaten on home soil is impressive, as is their incredible home record against Swiss opposition (W8, D1) ahead of the visit of a pointless and already eliminated Young Boys. Celtic kept clean sheets in six of the aforementioned nine H2Hs and scored at least three times in the last two, so understandably start as heavy favourites. [/p]
[p]Things couldn’t have gone much worse on the continent for Young Boys, who entered round seven as one of only three sides yet to pick up a point, losing six games in one campaign for the first time in their European history. Not only struggling in Europe, the 17-time Swiss champions are also sitting in the bottom half of their domestic league and risk dropping into the relegation group should they fail to find some consistency. [/p]
[p]Given the circumstances, this may not be a priority for Young Boys, who not only have zero chance of redemption, but also a winless away record against Scottish opposition across their historical meetings (D1, L2). Compounding matters is the fact that Young Boys’ away win during UCL qualifying is their only victory across the last nine European away games (D3, L5), losing all three in the league phase whilst conceding in five of the six halves of play. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Celtic’s Daizen Maeda enters this in red-hot form, contributing to six goals across his last six competitive appearances (G4, A2), whilst his last nine strikes came at home. For Young Boys, Silvere Ganvoula could provide an outlet, providing six goals this season, although just two of his scoring outings ended in victory. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Young Boys have conceded 5+ goals in three UCL games this season and could become the first side ever to do so four times in one European campaign. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Matthew Billon[/i][/p]