Slovan Bratislava — Young Boys : Match Preview and Prediction for August 21,2025

Current European Campaign

Slovan Bratislava began their season impressively, navigating past Zrinjski Mostar (4-0, 2-2) with relative ease in the second qualifying round of the Champions League. However, their subsequent exit from the competition at the hands of Kairat came as a significant surprise. While Kairat managed to secure a late victory from the penalty spot in Kazakhstan, courtesy of a last-minute goal, widespread expectations were for a dominant performance from the Slovakian side in Bratislava. Initially, it seemed that would be the case, especially after Vladimir Weiss’s men netted an early goal. Yet, that was the extent of their offensive output. The Kazakh team held firm through both regular and extra time, ultimately triumphing in a tense penalty shootout.

Domestic Performance

Domestically, in the national championship, Slovan’s campaign is progressing acceptably, having accumulated seven points from their initial three fixtures. They comfortably defeated Podbrezova (4-1) and edged out Skalica (1-0). Their only stumble was a high-scoring 2-2 draw against Presov.

Europa League Qualification

Young Boys secured their spot in the UEFA Europa League play-off round directly, based on their performance in the Swiss Championship. It’s debatable whether the Swiss side can consider themselves fortunate with their draw, given the array of potential opponents they could have faced.

Super League Struggles

Their start to the Super League season has been notably poor, yielding only five points from four matches. This includes a significant 1-4 defeat to reigning champions Basel. Furthermore, they failed to overcome modest opponents like Winterthur (1-1) and Sion (0-0). Their sole victory came against Servette (4-1), a team that has struggled consistently against most competitors.

Cup Performance and Transfer Strategy

While they did register a resounding 4-1 victory in the national Cup, it’s worth noting that their opponent was Courtepin, a team from Switzerland’s third-tier division, which provides less insight into their current form against stronger opposition. The club’s management has primarily focused on player sales during the current summer transfer window, generating approximately 20 million euros. However, there have been no significant reinforcements to the squad. This lack of incoming talent is likely a contributing factor to their underwhelming start to the season.