Match Preview

The first leg of the 2025/26 Europa League qualification playoff between Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) and Young Boys (Switzerland) is scheduled for August 21st at Tehelne Pole Stadium. This crucial encounter sets the stage for both teams’ aspirations in European competition.

Match Forecast Overview

Dive into our comprehensive match prediction for Slovan Bratislava vs Young Boys, including key statistics and analysis to guide your understanding of the upcoming fixture.

Slovan Bratislava Team Analysis

The Slovakian side has embarked on their Champions League qualification journey from the early stages for the seventh consecutive time. Last season, the team successfully advanced to the UEFA Champions League main round. However, in the current campaign, Vladimir Weiss’s squad was halted in the third qualifying round by Kairat. Slovan Bratislava suffered a defeat to the Almaty-based team in a penalty shootout, after both sides secured 1-0 home victories. The club’s last appearance in the Europa League group stage playoffs was two years ago, where they were eliminated by Cypriot side Aris (2:1 and 2:6).

• The club has secured only 2 victories in regular time across their previous 14 Europa League matches (6 draws and 6 losses).
• Both teams scored within 90 minutes in Slovan’s last 5 games in this competition.
• At their home ground, the team has remained undefeated in regular time in 11 out of their last 13 Europa League fixtures (8 wins and 3 draws).

Slovan Bratislava: Predicted Starting Lineup (3-4-3)*

Matúš Macík – Filip Lichý, Danilo Ignatenko, Sidoyn Fognin – Alasana Yiradjang, Rahim Ibrahim, Peter Pokorný, Sharani Zuberu – Mykola Kukharevych, Kelvin Ofori, Nino Marcelli.

Young Boys Team Analysis

The Young Boys squad is just commencing their European campaign, having secured a 3rd-place finish in their domestic league. In contrast, over the past two seasons, the club began their journey in the Champions League playoffs, successfully advancing to the group stage of that tournament on both occasions. The Swiss team last competed in Europa League qualification in 2020, where they defeated Dinamo Tirana 3-0 in the playoff round. It’s also worth noting that Young Boys approach this upcoming match with a 4-game winless streak in the Europa League (1 draw and 3 losses).

• At least two goals were scored in regular time in 8 of Young Boys’ previous Europa League matches.
• The club has failed to win in 90 minutes in 15 of their last 17 away games in the Europa League (8 draws and 7 losses).
• The Swiss team scored exactly 1 goal in regular time in 8 of their last 10 away matches in this tournament.

Young Boys: Predicted Starting Lineup (4-4-2)*

Marvin Keller – Saidy Janko, Gregory Wüthrich, Loris Benito, Jaouen Hadjam – Joël Monteiro, Rayan Raveloson, Lukasz Lakomy, Alan Virginius – Darian Males, Sergio Córdova.

Referee Profile

Sascha Stegemann (Germany)

Matches officiated – 8 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);

Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 57;

Average yellow cards per match – 7.1;

Red cards shown – 3;

Average fouls per match – 27;

Penalties awarded – 38%.

Main Match Prediction

For the upcoming fixture, I lean slightly towards the home side. Slovan Bratislava boasts a commendable record in the Europa League when playing on their home turf. In their last 13 matches in this competition at home, the club has only suffered defeats to Braga and Wolverhampton. Furthermore, the Slovakian team is on an impressive 18-game scoring streak in home European fixtures.

Conversely, Young Boys have struggled significantly in away matches, managing only 2 victories in their last 17 Europa League away encounters. Interestingly, during this period, if the team conceded a goal in an away match, they invariably failed to secure a win. It’s also worth noting that Young Boys have had a mediocre start to their domestic championship, accumulating only 5 points after 4 rounds, and are currently winless in their last 3 overall fixtures.

My prediction for this match is a “Slovan Bratislava Win or Draw” with odds of 1.65

Author: Oleksandr Oleksenko

* For each team, the starting lineup from their previous match is provided.