There are few games without any significance in the last round of the Champions League, but this is one of them. Both Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade dropped out of the competition a long time ago and will only play for their honour.
This is the last chance for Young Boys not to finish the campaign as one of the two teams without a single point. Only they and Slovan Bratislava have seven losses in a row. These are also the teams with the weakest defences, and in the case of Young Boys, they also have the weakest attack.
They have scored just three goals in seven rounds, and the situation is no better in their domestic league, with the defending champions struggling for survival this campaign.
Red Star Belgrade's season is similar if we talk about the Champions League. The team won one game but lost the other six, but the difference is that they are at least scoring goals. So far they have scored 12 goals, at the expense of 22 conceded.
They scored at least once in every game except the one against Inter. The list includes Monaco, Barcelona, Benfica, and PSV. We should also mention the spectacular 5-1 win over Stuttgart, which was their only cause for joy so far.
How the bookies view it: Almost identical odds and chances
Unlike most clashes in the last round, here we see almost equal odds for both teams. You can pick the hosts at 3/2, while Red Star Belgrade are available at 8/5. If you think the teams could end their campaigns with a draw, pick it at 11/4.
Recent head to head: Seventh CL game between them
Interestingly, these teams have met as many as six times in the Champions League in the past. Their last matches were in the group stage in 2023. Both teams have one win in the six H2Hs, with the other four clashes ending in draws.
Players to watch: Radonjic is a starter this time
Both squads are mostly healthy, with a few exceptions. Abdu Conte, Saidy Janko, and Facinet Conte will be out for Young Boys, while Filip Ugrinic is not available due to his red card. Peter Olayinka is the only absentee for Red Star.
Several players made an impact for Red Star Belgrade this season but one man has been their star in recent rounds. Nemanja Radonjic is their CL top scorer with three goals in just 160 minutes of play.
Probable line-ups
Young Boys: Keller, Hadjam, Benito, Zoukrou, Blum, Imeri, Raveloson, Lauper, Ganvoula, Itten, Colley
Red Star Belgrade: Glazer, Mimovic, Djiga, Spajic, Young-Woo, Elsnik, Krunic, Mvumpa, Ivanic, Radonjic, Ndiye
Anything else catch the eye?
Interestingly, Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade usually put on a show when they meet in the CL. Four of their six H2Hs ended with goals for both teams. Four of six also covered the 2.5+ goal line. Considering how efficient the visitors have been so far, we can expect activity from their side.
We even think they have a strong chance to win this game and finish positively. The Serbian championship is in their winter break and the visitors have no reason to spare their players. We expect a strong performance and victory is quite possible.
This UEFA Champions League match between Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade will be played on Jan 29, 2025 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Young Boys vs Red Star Belgrade prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
