The Daily Star Ireland
Stuttgart still has a chance to qualify despite suffering a heavy 5-1 defeat in Belgrade, leaving them with only 4 points from 5 games, similar to PSG. After an honorable 3-1 loss to Real Madrid, the German team drew 1-1 with Sparta Prague at home and surprised Juventus with a 1-0 win in Turin.
However, they were clearly outplayed by Atalanta 2-0 on the penultimate day, leading to the debacle in Serbia. In the Bundesliga, Stuttgart’s performances have been inconsistent: a 3-2 loss to Frankfurt before the break was followed by a 2-0 win over Bochum and a 2-2 draw at Bremen. Meanwhile, the Young Boys are enduring a tough Champions League season, with five defeats in as many games.
The Swiss club has been soundly beaten by Aston Villa 3-0, Barcelona 5-0, Inter 1-0, Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1, and a heavy 6-1 loss to Atalanta at home. With only two goals scored and 17 conceded, their performance has been far from impressive in this prestigious competition. In their domestic league, the reigning champions are also struggling, currently sitting in 9th place, four points away from the top six. They managed a 2-1 win over Lugano before the break but then drew 1-1 with Lucerne before returning to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Saint-Gall.
For the upcoming match, Stuttgart will be missing several key players. French defender Dan-Axel Zagadou, winger Jamie Leweling, young player Luca Raimund, and striker El Bilal Touré (with 2 league goals and 1 in the Champions League) are all out. Additionally, German international striker Deniz Undav, the club’s top scorer with 7 goals across all competitions, is uncertain.
Defenders like Hendriks and attackers such as Woltemade and Diehl are ineligible for the Champions League. However, Bosnian striker Ermedin Demirovic, who has scored 7 goals in the Bundesliga this season, is expected to play. Former Rennes player Fabian Rieder (1 goal, 2 assists) and Frenchman Enzo Millot (3 goals) are also likely to be in Sebastian Hoeness’s starting lineup.
The Young Boys face numerous absences due to injuries, with seven players out, including Zoukrou, Seiler, Janko, Crnovrsanin, and both Conte brothers, along with Chaiwa. However, Swiss international Joel Monteiro, who has 4 league goals, and Congolese international Sylvanus Ganvoula, with 5 goals, are expected to feature prominently. Cedric Itten, with his 4 league goals, will also be a key player for the team.
Prediction
In their last 19 consecutive Champions League matches, games involving the Young Boys have seen fewer than 3.5 goals. Similarly, Stuttgart’s matches have followed the same pattern in their previous 19 games at this level. Therefore, a low-scoring game is anticipated.
Prediction: Stuttgart 1 : 1 Young Boys.
