Barcelona will look to bounce back to winning ways when they host BSC Young Boys on Matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League.
Barcelona suffered a defeat at the hands of AS Monaco on Matchday 1 of the UEFA Champions League and will now look to return to winning ways when the host BSC Young Boys at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
The Catalan giants were on a scintillating run heading into the game against AS Monaco. Barcelona were expected to come out on top without much difficulty. But, a red card to Eric Garcia early in the game spoiled the party, and they ended up losing 2-1.
While the Blaugrana did bounce back with consecutive wins in La Liga, Flick’s team dropped points in the league for the first time in their last outing as they lost 4-2 to Osasuna. Barcelona dominated the ball but were not at their best in the final third, and it cost them the game.
Barcelona will look to bounce back, while BSC Young Boys will look to script history. They will be hoping to create an upset by taking down one of Europe’s heavyweights. The Swiss outfit lost 3-0 to Aston Villa on Matchday 1 of the UEFA Champions League and will hope to put in a much better performance here as they look to come out with something from this game.
The visitors are also heading into this one on the back of a defeat at the hands of Grasshoppers. They created more chances but could not make the most of it. They will have to be at their very best if they want to take down the Catalan giants. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
Eric Garcia will be unavailable for selection following the red card that he picked up against AS Monaco. The Spanish international joins Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal, Fermin Lopez, Gavi, Ronald Araujo, and Andreas Christensen, who are out injured.
Frenkie de Jong, who is yet to feature for the Catalan giants this season should be a part of the matchday squad for this one. Hansi Flick made quite a few changes to the starting eleven for their last outing, and it cost them big time. He will revert to the preferred team for this fixture, and his side will line up in the 4-3-3 formation.
Inaki Pena will continue in goal, while Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde should be the full-backs. Inigo Martinez will return to the starting XI and pair up with Pau Cubarsi in the heart of the defence.
With Eric Garcia out, Marc Casado should feature in the centre of the park alongside Pablo Torre and Pedri. The young trio will look to control the tempo and ensure they have the majority of the ball. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha will both return to the starting lineup. They will provide width to their attacks, while Robert Lewandowski will be leading the line for them.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Balde; Casado, Torre, Pedri; Lamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
BSC Young Boys
Patrick Rahmen will be without the services of Saidy Janko, Patric Pfeiffer, and Facinet Conte. Apart from the trio, the BSC Young Boys manager does not really have anything else to worry about ahead of the trip to Barcelona.
The visitors will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where David von Ballmoos will be in goal. Teenage sensation Zachary Athekame will take charge as the right-back, while Jaouen Hadjam will be on the opposite flank. Mohamed Ali Camara will pair up with Tanguy Zoukrou in the heart of the defence.
Cheikh Niasse will form the double pivot with Sandro Lauper. The duo will look to shield the backline and ensure the Barcelona midfielders do not end up dominating the ball too deep in their half. Joel Monteiro and Ebrima Colley will feature on the flanks. They will look to provide width to their attack, while Filip Ugrinic will be the attacking midfielder. Silvere Ganvoula will lead the line for the away team.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): van Ballmoos; Athekame, Camara, Zoukrou, Hadjam; Niasse, Lauper; Monteiro, Ugrinic, Colley; Ganvoula
Key Stats
- Barcelona and Young Boys have never previously faced each other in European competition. The last time Barcelona faced a Swiss opponent was in the group stage of the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League campaign against FC Basel (won 5-0 away, drew 1-1 at home).
- Barcelona have only lost their opening home game of a UEFA Champions League campaign in one of their previous 28 tournament appearances (W25 D2), with that lone defeat coming in 2021/22 against Bayern Munich (0-3).
- Barcelona lost their final UEFA Champions League game of last season (1-4 vs Paris Saint-Germain) and their opener this season (1-2 vs AS Monaco). In their history across the European Cup/Champions League (334 games played), they have never previously suffered three consecutive defeats.
- Hansi Flick’s team have now suffered two defeats in their last five outings.
- The Spanish giants have scored two or more goals in seven out of their last eight outings.
Player to Watch
Lamine Yamal
At just 17, Yamal is already one of the mainstays of Barcelona. Flick decided to rotate his team and rest the teenage sensation, and it did not really go according to plan. He did come on for a cameo and even bagged a goal but could not save them from a defeat at the hands of Osasuna.
Yamal will start against Young Boys, and it won’t be a surprise if he ends up being the difference between the two teams. Yamal netted Barcelona’s only goal in their defeat to AS Monaco, and he can become the first player aged under 18 to score in consecutive UEFA Champions League appearances.
Prediction
Barcelona 3-0 BSC Young Boys
Barcelona have quite a few injuries to deal with and despite that, they have played some incredible football in the majority of their matches. While the Blaugrana did lose in their last outing, Hansi Flick’s team are expected to bounce back against Young Boys. The visitors will try their best to get something out of this fixture, but they might just not be good enough. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 3-0 win for the Catalan giants.