Barcelona host Young Boys at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium on Tuesday for match day 2 in the Champions League.
The Spanish side is looking for its first win of the tournament after a 2-1 loss at Monaco in the opener.
Meanwhile, the Swiss squad is hoping for a major upset to jumpstart its campaign in the UCL.
I can only see the home team dominating in this one, but it will come down to the best avenue to cash a winning ticket.
Let's dive into Barcelona vs. Young Boys in the Champions League.
Barcelona vs. Young Boys Odds, Picks, Prediction
| Barcelona Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-0.5 -1200 | 3.5 -154o / +126u | -1200 |
| Young Boys Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+0.5 +700 | 3.5 -154o / +126u | +2800 |
- Barcelona vs. Young Boys moneyline odds: Barcelona -1200, Young Boys +2800, Draw +1200
- Barcelona vs. Young Boys over/under: 3.5 goals (over -154, under +126)
- Barcelona vs. Young Boys pick: Barcelona to win both halves
I am backing Barcelona to win both halves in Young Boys vs. Barcelona.
Barcelona Preview
Over the summer, Barcelona elected to go in a different direction at manager of the club by bringing in Hansi Flick to take over for club legend Xavi. He is the third German manager in the club’s history, and he has had great success in his career.
His top achievements came at Bayern Munich, where he won this competition in 2020. Flick also went on to lead the German giant to the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup titles in the same year.
In his time in Spain so far, all he has done is pick up results. He has seven wins in La Liga, which includes victories over Girona, Athletic Club and Villarreal.
The one improvement we can see is he is getting the best out of Robert Lewandowski. The striker who played for Flick at Bayern already has seven goals and a pair of assists on the season, and he’ll like his chances of adding to that tally here.
Young Boys Preview
Similar to their opponent, Young Boys also had a change at head coach this summer with the club hiring Patrick Rahmen. He doesn’t have a ton of experience, with short stints at FB Basel and the Switzerland Under-21 National Team.
Unfortunately for Rahmen, it hasn’t been a great start so far. Young Boys come into this match in 11th of 12 teams in the Swiss top flight.
This is the same team side that only has one win in eight league games. However, the club was able to qualify for this competition by defeating Galatasaray over two legs.
You saw what happened in the step-up in competition against Aston Villa and I worry that this could end similarly.
Barcelona vs. Young Boys Prediction
I’m fully expecting Barcelona to get a win here, but I think the spread and moneyline prices have gone too far. I did find some betting value in the special markets from bet365.
So, my best bet is for Barcelona to Win Both Halves at -138, which I would play to -145. I also don’t hate Lewandowski to score two or more goals.
Because of the loss in match day 1, we should get a motivated display at home for Flick’s squad, and I don’t think Young Boys will be able to handle the constant pressure.
This is a team that gave up a pair of goals and six big scoring chances to Galatasaray in the qualifying round. The Swiss side followed that up by losing 3-0 at home to Villa in a match where the Premier League team won the expected goals battle 2.0-0.6, according to fbref.com.
Meanwhile, Barcelona have been very good at home this season. In three home La Liga fixtures, the Spanish giant own a +6.2 xGDiff and held opponents to just 0.73 expected goals per 90 minutes.
Flick does have a lengthy injury list, but he should still have enough to get the victory here.
Pick: Barcelona to Win Both Halves (-138 via bet365)
How to Watch Champions League: Time, Channel, Streaming
| Location: | Spotify Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain |
| Date: | Tuesday, October 1 |
| Kickoff Time: | 3 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | Paramount+ / YouTube TV, Fubo |
