Perhaps RB Leipzig and Young Boys would both prefer some rest rather than having to play this inconsequential UEFA Champions League (UCL) group-stage game, but nonetheless some confidence and momentum to take into 2024 is up for grabs. Leipzig will be preparing for their fourth UCL last-16 appearance in five seasons but are unable to catch Group G leaders Manchester City, while a new journey of sorts awaits Young Boys after they avoided fourth place in a UCL group stage for the first time, putting them in the UEFA Europa League knockout phase.
Leipzig cemented their spot in the Bundesliga’s top four with a crucial 3-2 victory over ten-man Borussia Dortmund at the weekend – their 11th consecutive match across all competitions to produce a winner (W7, L4). They should be confident of taking all three points at home here after triumphing in the reverse fixture 3-1 in Switzerland, especially having now won each of their last seven UCL games when they were pre-match favourites.
Given that Young Boys have already secured their best UCL group-stage finish after a 2-0 home victory over Red Star Belgrade, it seems a little curious that the club have not yet extended the contract of manager Raphaël Wicky, which expires in June 2024. Wicky insists he’s “relatively relaxed” about the situation and “loves going to work every day”, and who could blame him with his side proudly top of the Swiss Super League standings.
As far as this particular game is concerned, history suggests that their chances of heading into the spring with a first-ever group-stage UCL away win under their belt are slim. Since the start of 2016/17, in which time they have entered seven group stages in either the UCL or Europa League, Young Boys have gone home winless from all but one of their 20 trips (D9, L10).
Players to watch: Leipzig’s Yussuf Poulsen is in excellent scoring form regardless of whether he starts, recording goals in three of his last four competitive matches, while Young Boys forward Jean-Pierre Nsame is looking to net in a third consecutive game.
Hot stat: All but one of Leipzig’s last 12 UEFA home encounters have seen both teams score on the day.
