Young Boys have been hit by the injuries just ahead of this clash with Partizan. They are going to miss Benito, Bertone and Hoarau which makes them weaker in all departments on the pitch. The latter is of great importance to them and without him, they’ll be massively weakened in the attack. Should remain attack-minded and should see the artificial pitch as an important advantage here. They have been given a -0.5 AH to beat which is a fair reflection on the difference between the two sides. With better team news, they would probably be an even bigger favorite here. Going ahead will be very important as they’ll have fans behind them and with starting initiative to be taken, they’ll probably be the more active side during the contest. A 2.5 goal line looks somewhat low considering Young Boys form and general approach to the game but their opponents are unbeaten in the last five European games, meaning they’ll be hard to break. However, the home side have goals in them and while playing in good form, they should be able to create a couple of great goal scoring chances here.
Partizan will be without Kosović and Soumah but their absences will be covered. Djukic will need to make several choices ahead of the upcoming match, particularly on the left-back and Tosic’s position as he can play as both attacking midfielder and winger. The team is expected to start in the 4-2-3-1 formation with Tawamba as a striker. The visitors are given +0.5 handicap and are justly set as the underdogs. Only one team in Serbian Super Liga plays on artificial turf so Partizan might have trouble adapting to the surface. The likelihood of overcoming the given line is heavily dependent on Partizan’s defence and since Partizan would happily settle for a stalemate they have the quality to beat the given line. An over 2.5 goals line is fair as the match could go either way regarding total goals. An early goal for the hosts will open the game up, but on the other hand, if Partizan find the back of the net in the early stages of the match, their aim will be to protect the lead and even a 1-1 draw.
Verdict & Prediction
Young Boys are top of the league in domestic competition but recent fresh injuries had some negative impact on their strength and confidence ahead of this game. Opponents in their group have been described by Hütter as the ones who should be seriously treated from the first whistle. They’ll target a win and even with a weakened side, they should be strong enough to outplay Partizan and get all three points. Playing on an artificial pitch will be a notable advantage while being a slight favorite here fairly represents the difference in quality between these two sides.
Prediction: Young Boys -0.50 Asian Handicap
Odds: 1.89 Pinnacle
