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Celtic vs Young Boys Preview: Tips, Odds and Predictions Jan 22

Bottom-placed Young Boys travel to Scotland for a UEFA Champions League clash against Celtic on Wednesday night, January 22, at Celtic Park. The Swiss team are yet to secure any points in the competition and Champions League betting fans will be looking forward to see if they can salvage something while also looking for the best odds, tips and predictions in this detailed preview.

Jimmy Modise
Jimmy Modise

Last Updated: 2024-12-24

Chad Nagel

6 minutes read

Celtic fans celebrate following the UEFA Champions League group C football match

Celtic fans celebrating//Getty Images

Celtic vs Young Boys Preview: A Clash of Mixed Fortunes 

Celtic have made their home ground a fortress and perhaps could have been further up the table had they managed to get more wins. 

Seven out of the nine points Brendan Rogers’ team have so far been as a result of two wins and a draw at Celtic Park, while their guests have no points to their name.

In the league phase of the competition, Young Boys have lost all six of their games, conceding a whopping twenty-two goals. Against Stuttgart, they lost 5-1, while Atalanta and Barcelona beat them 6-1 and 5-0 respectively. Heading into this one, it does not look like their fortunes will change.

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: Tough Away Trip for Young Boys

  1. Home 19/50 (1.38) 72.5%

  2. Draw 89/20 (5.45) 18.3%

  3. Away 69/10 (7.9) 12.7%

  4. *Odds courtesy of Betandyou, subject to change

Head-to-Head record

There’s not much in the way of head-to-head encounters historically in this fixture as these two teams have only played three times against each other with one win each and a draw.

Last Meetings Between Two Teams Who Last Met in 2007

  1. 07/07/07 Young Boys 4-1 Celtic

  2. 29/09/93 Celtic *1-0 Young Boys (*After Extra Time)

  3. 14/09/93 Young Boys 0-0 Celtic

Celtic Current Form in the Champions League – DDWDL

Not a good run on paper but if looked at carefully, Celtic have done well for themselves in the Champions League and have only lost once in their last five matches, accumulating six points over that run. 

They have nine points overall and are number twenty-one on the table, equal in points with Real Madrid, who have a better goal difference.

Their most impressive win was 3-1 against RB Leipzig, coming from 1-0 down in the first half. German forward, Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn found the back of the net twice, while Reo Hatate sealed off the win with a 72nd minute goal. If Celtic are able to secure the win on the night, which is more likely to happen than not, then they will be guaranteed a spot in the last sixteen playoffs.

Key Players to Watch

  • Callum McGregor: The 31-year-old midfielder will be a standout player for his team on the night with his scoring ability and leadership in midfield. McGregor has had a good season thus far with six goals and one assist to his name and will be looking to add more with his firsts in the Champions League.
  • Reo Hatate: In Celtic’s 4-3-3 formation, Hatate plays on the left side of midfield and is very pacey with the ability to take on and eliminate players in his wake. The South Korean will be too hot to handle for the visiting team.
  • Adam Idah: For goals, Idah is one of Brendan Rogers’ trusted men. The Irish forward has scored eight goals so far, and if given a starting role, will increase his tally in Europe’s premier interclub competition. He is one player to look out for.

Celtic Team News

American side, Atlanta United will once more put in a bid for Japanese forward, Kyogo Furuhashi in the region of £10 million, but it does not seem like Celtic are willing sellers. Rogers will have a full complement squad as none of his players are out on injury at the time of writing.

Young Boys Current Form in the Champions League – LLLLL

In the qualification phase, Young Boys looked to be one of the surprise packages with two convincing wins against Turkish giants, Galatasaray. They beat them over two legs convincingly with scores of 1-0 and 3-2, however, their start to the league phase signalled something different.

Aston Villa’s visit to the Wankdorf Stadium was the catalyst for their poor run with a 3-0 win over the hosts, and since then, it has been pretty much a landslide to the bottom, and they remain there with zero points. 

BSC Young Boys v Aston Villa FC - UEFA Champions League

BSC Young Boys v Aston Villa FC - UEFA Champions League//Getty Images

Key Players to Watch

  • David van Ballmoos: On the night, the visiting team will need their goalkeeper to rise to the occasion although he has let in a significant number of goals. If he can get proper cover from his backline, the chances of him being key to whatever result his team may force are very likely. 
  • Darien Males: With six goal contributions so far this season, Darien Males’ potential to spark his team to life is not in doubt. On the night, he will probably be the most important player because of his ability to score and create goals.
  • Silvere Ganvoula: The forward from the Republic of Congo has been racking up minutes recently and the coach’s trust has been repaid with goals. He is one of the better performers for his team in the Champions League with a goal and an assist.

Young Boys Team News

Giorgio Contini remains without several players through mild to severe injuries. Meshack Elia, Miguel Chaiwa, Banhie Zoukrou and Sadin Crnovrsanin are all out nursing varying knocks.

Predicted Line-ups

  1. Celtic: 4-3-3

    Schmeichel, Valle, Scales, Carter-Vickers, Ralston, Hatate, McGregor, Engels, Maeda, Idah, Forrest 

  2. Young Boys: 4-2-3-1

    Von Ballmoos, Athekame, Camara, Benito, Hadjam, Ugrinic, Lakomy, Monteiro, Males, Colley, Ganvoula

Suggested Bets

If you’re passionate about football betting, check out our the following wagers which you can place on the best online sportsbooks.

  1. Match Result (1X2) – Celtic: This is one game Celtic has to win to put a stamp on their position, and it couldn’t get better with the opponent they will be facing, a team that has been the whipping boys. The home team will easily win this one. (19/50 with Betway)

  2. Overs/Unders – Over 3.5: The overall number of goals the Swiss team has conceded so far is an indication that the possibility of there being an avalanche of goals in this one is very high. Twenty-two goals were conceded, twelve of which were on the road, the hosts are a sure fit to score and deliver this market for you. (28/25 with Betway)

  3. 1x2 and Overs/Unders (Total 2.5) – Celtic and Over 2.5: We chose this market because it makes sense together with the two above-suggested bets. A win for Celtic plus more than the two goals in the match is a highly probable result especially so with the high win probability the latter has of 72.5%. (34/50 with Betway)

Value Bets

  1. 10 Minutes – 1X2 From 1 to 10 – Celtic: A very risky market, but if the Scottish giants break out quickly from the blocks, they can get a goal and win the first ten minutes. Atalanta and Barcelona won the first ten minutes against Young Boys with goals in the 9th and 8th minutes respectively. (19/5 with Betway)

  2. Winning Margin – Celtic by 3+: Like the aforementioned two teams, we tip a high-margin win by the favourite team on the night by three or more goals. (21/10 with Betway)

  3. Both Halves over 1.5 – Yes: 50% of the six losses Young Boys suffered had both halves over 1.5 and the likelihood of a repeat result is very possible. (5/2 with Betway).

Prediction – Celtic Win and Over 2.5

Our final prediction for the game is a Celtic win and over 2.5 goals in the match. We do not believe Young Boys have what it takes to force any sort of result in this game looking at their poor record. It should therefore be an easy one in Scotland for this legendary team.

Jimmy Modise
Jimmy ModiseSports Writer

Jimmy is based in Johannesburg, South Africa and has a Diploma in Journalism and Media Studies. He’s a sports fanatic of several sporting disciplines which he is well versed with.

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