Young Boys vs Aston Villa Odds
| Young Boys Odds | +400 |
| Aston Villa Odds | -154 |
| Draw | +310 |
| Over / Under | 2.5 -188 / +150 |
For the first time since the 1982-83 season, Aston Villa will be playing a match in the Champions League. Traveling to Switzerland, the Villains will look to perform and maintain their status as a team to be reckoned with. Believe it or not, Aston Villa won the Champions League, or should I say the European Cup, back in the 1981-82 season.
Young Boys, a team we’ve probably all heard of by now, is looking to make their first ever appearance in the knockout stage of the Champions League after failing to do so in the 2018-19 and 2021-22 season.
Let's dive into my Young Boys vs Aston Villa prediction along with my Champions League picks.
Young Boys
BSC Young Boys currently sit in last place in the Swiss Super League table with no tally in the win column. They have three draws and three losses on the season. Somehow they managed to beat Galatasaray on an aggregate score of 4-2 for a spot in the Champions League. It's seemingly a tale of two teams when you compare Young Boys’ success in their domestic league against their success in European competition.
Young Boys have scored seven goals in the Super League, with two of their goals being awarded from their opponents in the form of an own goal. On top of this, Young Boys currently hold a -7 goal differential in the Super League, while averaging around 59% possession of the ball in their matches.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa have had a strong start to the Premier League season, winning three games out of four and losing to Arsenal at the Emirates. One player who has had a less than ideal start to their season is Ollie Watkins. Watkins has only managed to score once, totaling 10 shots in those matches. Villa have had to rely elsewhere for the goal-scoring chances, and one player who has certainly been making the most of his chances is Colombian striker Jhon Duran.
Duran is currently tied for second in the Premier League for most goals with three, scoring in three separate matches as a late-game substitute. Midfield production has also been a key factor in Villa’s early success this season, with new-signing Amadou Onana picking up where he left off in his previous season at Everton, finally shining for all to see with a new team with higher quality players. The balance in style with his new partner, Youri Tielemans, seems to be working better than expected for Unai Emery. Onana is the team's second highest goal-scorer behind Duran with two goals on the season.
Young Boys vs Aston Villa
Prediction
One player on Young Boys that interests me is Congolese striker Silvere Ganvoula. Ganvoula is responsible for three of the five goals that their team actually scored in addition to one assist. In the Champions League, Ganvoula averages 3.5 shots per match, which could prove to be an issue for Aston Villa’s somewhat leaky defense. Aston Villa currently hold a +1 goal differential in the Premier League, conceding goals to below-average offenses in West Ham, Leicester City and Everton.
That being said, Aston Villa’s xG in matches against similar opponents in the past calendar year (Luton Town and Sheffield) has been as low as 1.99 goals (Luton Town) and as high as 2.49 goals (Sheffield). With these statistics in mind, I think backing the both teams to score market along with Villa to go over their team total is wise.
Pick: Both Teams to Score – YES & o1.5 Aston Villa Goals (-105 via DraftKings)
