Young Boys v Aston Villa: Back odds-on visitors to cruise to victory | OneFootball

UEFA Champions League

Young Boys will have little to celebrate in Europe this week

Unai Emery's players will be too strong as they make their Champions League bow on Tuesday night, writes James Eastham...

Tuesday Sep 17, 17:45

Obvious gulf in class

Aston Villa should make a winning start in the Champions League this week. Hosts Young Boys have certain factors in their favour but Unai Emery's visitors should be ultimately too good.

Villa are 1.7 to collect all three points. We wouldn't talk anyone out of supporting the Premier League outfit at that price. If you're looking for bigger odds, consider backing Villa on the Asian Handicap. With our selection in that market, you'll make a small profit if Villa win by a single goal and a bigger profit if the visitors win by two or more goals.

Why support Villa? Because they have better players all over the pitch. If you combined these two squads and picked an ideal Starting XI, would there be a single Young Boys players in it? Probably not. The hosts simply don't have any players close to the quality that Villa have in their ranks.

Defensive wobbles

Second, there are plenty of inexperienced performers in Young Boys' line-up, especially in defence. French centre-back Tanguy Zoukrou and compatriot left-back Jaouen Hadjam - both just 21 - have been regular starters for the Swiss side under manager Patrick Rahmen this season. If the pair get picked, and go up against the likes of Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins, we're confident the visitors will flourish.

Are there any factors in Young Boys' favour? Yes. Playing on their home artificial pitch is routine for them, while it isn't for Villa. It may take some time for the visiting players to adapt to the surface. And the home crowd at Young Boys' Wankdorf Stadium can create a rousing, supportive atmosphere. The adage about a good crowd acting like a twelfth man can be true on big European nights at this venue.

Young Boys should also draw confidence from how they got here. In the last round they won home and away against Galatasaray: they triumphed 3-2 at home before securing their place in the new-look group phase with a 1-0 win in Istanbul. Galatasaray were favourites to win the tie so Young Boys deserve immense credit for making it through.

Ultimately, however, the difference in quality between the two sets of players on the pitch, plus those on the benches, should be the decisive factor. For that reason, we're backing Villa.

Expect goals

If you're looking for a second selection on the game, consider 'Yes' in the Both teams to Score market, or Overs in the Over/Under markets.

A defining feature of Young Boys' games this season has been goals at both ends of the pitch. Both teams have scored in six of their eight combined Swiss Super League and Champions League games. Six of those eight matches have also featured three or more goals.

Villa have also shown they can contribute to a high goals count. Both teams have scored in three of their opening four 2023-24 Premier League games, with three of those four matches also featuring three or more goals.

Recommended bets

Back Aston Villa -0.5 & -1.0 Asian Handicap @ 1.9

Back Over 3.0 on the Goal Lines market @ 1.95