Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Stadion Wankdorf will be the center of attention when Young Boys and Maccabi Haifa square off against each other in the Champions League final qualifying round, return leg. Young Boys did well to hold Maccabi to a goalless draw in Israel, but it has to be noted that the Yellow-Blacks failed to take a shot on target in the first leg. There are no fresh injury worries in the home team ahead of the visit of Maccabi Haifa.
The Greens, on the other hand, have been producing fine displays in the Champions League qualifiers this term. Maccabi Haifa are eyeing their third consecutive clean sheet in all competitions, but preventing Young Boys from scoring in Bern is easier said than done. To make things even more difficult for the away side, important midfielder Ali Mohamed is banned for the match due to the accumulation of yellow cards.
Highlighted Player (Fabian Lustenberger):
Fabian Lustenberger is a Swiss player who was born on 2 May, 1988 in Nebikon. The defensive midfielder started his senior career at FC Luzern and he played 34 league matches for the club between 2005 and 2007. Lustenberger joined Hertha Berlin in August, 2007 and it has to be noted that he made 24 league appearances for the capital club in the 2007/2008 Bundesliga campaign.
Despite the fact that Hertha dropped to 2. Bundesliga at the end of the 2009/2010 season, the Swiss footballer decided not to leave the club in the summer transfer window. In 2013 Hertha returned to the German top flight and Lustenberger has been the team’s captain ever since.
The 180-cm-tall footballer has 25 caps for Switzerland U21 team and he made his debut for the Switzerland national team on 15 November, 2013 in a friendly against Korea Republic. His brother is a football player as well and he currently plays for the FC Luzern reserve team. Fabian Lustenberger’s contract with Hertha expires on 30 June, 2019.
Highlighted Team (Young Boys):
Just five years after its foundation Young Boys won their first Swiss Super League trophy (1903). The capital club won no less than 11 domestic trophies in the 20th century, but they have been in Basel’s shadow in the last two decades. Young Boys won their last Swiss Super League title back in 1986, while lifting their last Swiss Cup trophy in 1987.
The Yellow and Blacks welcome their rivals at Stade de Suisse, which acts as a national stadium and it has to be noted that they play their home games on artificial turf. Swiss football legend Stephane Chapuisat played for the club in the past and you should bear in mind that former Yugoslavia coach Vujadin Boskov played for the Stade de Suisse outfit in the past as well.
Young Boys played their first official game on 29 June, 1898 and they shared the spoils with Institute Grunau back then. The Swiss team participated in the 2016/2017 Champions League qualifiers, but they failed to make it to the group stages of the elite competition.