Crvena Zvezda host Young Boys in a Group D fixture in the UEFA Champions League with both teams looking to bounce back from opening day defeats. There appears to be little to separate both teams at the moment and they look set to cancel each other out on Wednesday.
Crvena Zvezda began their campaign with a defeat as they were beaten 3-1 by reigning champions Manchester City on match-day one. They led at the break thanks to Osman Bukari’s effort but eventually succumbed to the superior quality of the Premier League side.
That result highlights an erratic record for Crvena Zvezda in recent weeks as they have claimed two wins and suffered three defeats in their last five matches across all competitions. The good news is that they did pick up a 2-1 victory over Radnicki Nis in a Super Liga fixture last weekend.
Crvena Zvezda will head into Wednesday’s clash with plenty of confidence having impressed at home in recent weeks. The victory over Radnicki Nis made it five straight wins at the Red Star Stadium for Barak Bakhar’s side.
Young Boys were also beaten on match-day one as they began their campaign with a 3-1 home defeat to RB Leipzig. They came from behind to level at the break thanks to Meschack Elia’s effort but could not hold out for the draw.
Like their hosts, Young Boys have been a bit erratic in recent weeks and travel to Belgrade with three wins and two defeats in their last five matches across all competitions. They also claimed a 1-0 victory at Grasshoppers in a Swiss Super League fixture last weekend.
The win at Grasshoppers extends a solid record on the road for Young Boys, who are unbeaten in seven of their last eight away matches across all competitions. Raphael Wicky’s men have also won three of the last four fixtures in that run.
How the bookies view it
Crvena Zvezda have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 23/20 by bet365. A victory for Young Boys is valued at 12/5 with Paddy Power while BetVictor is offering odds of 5/2 for a draw.
Head to head
Crvena Zvezda have never lost to Young Boys with one win and three draws from four previous matches. Both teams met during the 2019-20 Champions League qualifiers and played out a 2-2 draw in Switzerland before settling for a 1-1 scoreline at the Red Star Stadium.
Players to watch
Jean-Philippe Krasso often features in attack for Crvena Zvezda and has found the net six times this season. The forward could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime on Wednesday at 3/1 with Unibet.
Young Boys can also hold their own going forward with Jean-Pierre Nsame often involved in most of their attacking play. The forward has four goals this season and is priced at 16/5 by Paddy Power to find the net on Wednesday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Crvena Zvezda and Young Boys both saw over 3.5 goals in their respective match-day one fixtures and could be set for a repeat at 9/5 with BetVictor. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 8/11 by bet365.
The Serbians have seen more goals after the break in four of their last five matches across all competitions and Wednesday’s clash could be set to follow a similar pattern at evens with bet365. Both teams could also be tipped to score in the second half at 2/1 with Paddy Power.
This UEFA Champions League match between Crvena Zvezda and Young Boys will be played on Oct 4, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Crvena Zvezda vs Young Boys prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.