Champions League Young Boys vs Dinamo Zagreb

Champions League Young Boys vs Dinamo Zagreb

On Wednesday, 22 August 2018, the Young Boys Berne will meet Dinamo Zagreb at 21:00 CET in the first leg of the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League play-offs. Thus, the Swiss national champion receives the reigning Croatian champions when two national champions in the so-called Champions way of qualifying for the premier class hope for one of the last remaining places in the group stage of the most important European competition for club teams. In terms of odds, Berne against Zagreb is in the favorites role, although it can be assumed that two teams will collide at eye level in this match. In addition, Dinamo Zagreb have been in the Champions League group stage six times, while the Young Boys are in the play-offs for the fourth time, but have never been successful in this last hurdle. So, whether this will be different this time? Of course, the return leg in Croatia will certainly depend on that, but we will for the moment exclude it in this article. Instead, we are fully focused on this first leg match in Switzerland, for which we took a close look at both participants in these Champions League play-off games. How to best tap this exciting match, you will learn in the final forecast to Bern against Zagreb.
After all, the Croats have the advantage, because of their poorer rankings in the UEFA five-year standings as a national champion already in the second qualifying round in the pot to be Lostopf, which is why it is already very well in the juice, after both the Israeli national champion Hapoel Be’er Sheva and the Kazakh champion FK Astana were able to successfully bow out of the competition to earn their place in these play-offs. So Dinamo Zagreb already knows where they stand, while the Young Boys Berne have successfully started in the Swiss Super League and were able to build on the sensational previous year, but still have not got any international positioning. Because of the merits of the previous Champions League long-term participant FC Basel, the Bernese as surprise champion now namely automatically the place in the play-offs, which has spared them the previous qualifying rounds.

It is clear that the Stade de Suisse Wankdorf will now head off when the two national champions will go into the first of two duels, which could also be groundbreaking for the entire season. The winner waving in the premier class, the big money, while the loser only the overall poorly paid Europa League remains as a consolation. Let’s take a closer look at the two teams to find a favorite.

Young Boys Bern – Still on the road to success under Seoane

When the Bernese Sport Club Young Boys – BSC Young Boys for short – was able to celebrate the first Swiss championship for 32 years last season, this success was also strongly linked to successful trainer Adi Hütter, whom it has meanwhile lost to Eintracht Frankfurt. To the melancholy of the trailer had therefore a new coach ago, which one also found quickly with Gerardo Seoane. Nevertheless, many of the 39-year-old Swiss, who also has the Spanish passport, were critical of what in retrospect, however, should turn out to be unjustified. After four league games and four wins, they are already leading the table in the Swiss Super League with a five-point advantage over FC Basel and have now survived the dress rehearsal in the Cup, where they are shaking for a long time against FC Biel Bienne had in the 3-2 away win under protection of some regulars. The greatest advantage of the Bernese is, however, beyond doubt that in addition to the coach only lost center-back Kasim Adams (to TSG Hoffenheim), which has been replaced with Mohamed Camara and Ulisses Garcia quite well. With still small transfer cushion and any income from the entry into the premier class would also be conceivable further reinforcement. In short: the success story of the Swiss champion continues, although you go with a poor overall balance in these play-offs. They failed here in the last three attempts and won only one of their last six Champions League qualifiers, while the other five were all lost …

Dinamo Zagreb – international again in standing

The score of the Croatian national champion reads much better, as Dinamo Zagreb have not only convinced themselves in the last two qualifying rounds with three wins to zero and a 2-2 draw away in Israel with a B-Elf across the board, but meanwhile brings a series of eight games without defeat in the two European competitions. After having suffered six defeats in a row before that, after re-conquering national supremacy (in 2017 they missed the league title for the first time in eleven years, before it had worked out again in 2018), they also achieved a good international standing. But is that enough for a strong opponent like Bern? In the Croatian league you can be found with three wins and a draw from the first four games again high in the table, but you had in summer three hopeful top players for the future. Filip Benkovic went to Leicester City, Ante Coric to AS Roma and Borna Sosa to VfB Stuttgart. Three up-and-coming U21 players from the famous Zagreb talent factory, who sooner or later could be a solid core for the reigning vice-world champion in the national team, and who will now be sorely lacking in their club – especially when it comes to the premier class again Nenad Bjelica’s crew would definitely need a bit more starpower. But at least: in the past four years, the Croatian series champion has made it three times to the premier class, in which he has participated in total six times. The balance in the play-offs is thus worlds better than that of the Swiss.

Bern – Zagreb Record – Previous meetings

So far there has never been an international competitive match between Young Boys Bern and Dinamo Zagreb, which will now face each other for the first time in history. For the Swiss, it is also the first duel with a Croatian club, while the Croatian national champions bring a good balance against representatives from the Super League. Of the three matches played so far against teams from Switzerland, there has not been a single defeat (one win, two draws). All the more important that you keep this white vest in this away game in Bern.

Get complete stats for Young Boys vs Dinamo Zagreb H2H

In the odds, Bern against Zagreb is still in the clear favorites role, which at least on the good balance sheets of the Croatian national champion can not be explained. Rather, here plays the fact significantly in that the Young Boys have a very well-rehearsed team that can continue to play successfully under new coach in the success system of Frankfurt emigrated Adi Hütter, for which they benefit that one had to surrender only a single regular player , And at the end of the day, it is exactly this ingenuity and the confidence of the Swiss surprise champion who should make the difference in this first leg. There will be no doubt about it, but in the end we are tapping the forecast for Bern against Zagreb in our prediction for the Young Boys’ home win. A preliminary decision, however, this probably does not bring yet.

Betting Tips: 1 (Berne)
Odds: 1.72
Bet Tips: X (draw)
Odds: 3.80
Betting Tip: 2 (Zagreb)
Odds: 4.50