Young Boys Bern can already almost count on the first title of the season. In Switzerland's Super League, the team are currently clear at the top of the table. Last weekend's 3-1 victory over fourth-placed FC Lugano was the fifth win in succession and YBB have only lost one game all season so far. The lead over the team in second place, the former perennial champions FC Basel, is already 16 points after 20 games. It could well be the case that the team led by successful coach Gerardo Seoane are already on course for a record season. No club has ever ended up with a 20-point advantage at the end of the season and they also seem to be in a position to beat their own record of 91 points set in 2019 given the dominance of the team.
While Young Boys clock up one win after the next in Switzerland, the challenge on the European stage has proved to be a tougher affair. The desired qualification for the Champions League was missed after a 3-0 defeat to the Danish club FC Midtjylland – and the Europa League group alongside AS Roma, CFR Cluj and CSKA Sofia proved to be really tight and really dramatic. In a clash to decide who would go through, the Swiss team beat the Rumanian side Cluj on the final matchday. A draw would have been enough to progress but the team was behind on 84 minutes. There followed an unbelievably turbulent period of added time with three red cards, a penalty – and, in the end, two priceless goals for the Swiss team who thereby went through to the knockout rounds as the second-placed club.
The added time in the final group match does have an effect on the game against the Werkself. Jean-Pierre Nsame, the star in the team, was sent off for a foul and is now serving a two-match ban. The Cameroonian, Bern's top scorer and the highest goalscorer in Switzerland last term, will miss both the first and second legs. The same applies to the otherwise regular central defender Mohammed Camara, who was sent off in the penultimate group match (a 3-1 defeat in Rome) and he was suspended for three matches. In addition, coach Seoane has to cope with a number of injuries in midfield that sees enforcer Christopher Martins Pereira, winger Marvin Spielmann and the former Freiburg player Vincent Sierro all sidelined.
Nevertheless, Bern are able to field a very decent team – including a number of faces familiar in Germany. The captain leads the way: Fabian Lustenberger played for Hertha Berlin for 12 years and he made 220 Bundesliga appearances before joining Young Boys in 2019 – as a leader, captain and key defender. Another famous name belongs to Gianluca Gaudino, son of the former Germany international Maurizio Gaudino. Gianluca made his Bundesliga debut at the age of just 17 at FC Bayern under Pep Guardiola and now he is the midfield dynamo at Young Boys Bern. And left back Ulisses Garcia (19 games for Werder Bremen) also has a Bundesliga past, striker Miralem Sulejmani was a key performer at Benfica and Ajax.
On top of that, there are a number of names not known to every German fan – not yet. Players like the two wingers Christian Fassnacht and Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu or striker Jordan Siebatcheu have already attracted interest from 'bigger’ leagues and they should be able to ensure that Bern will be able to field a strong attack against the Werkself even without Nsame.
While YBB are progressing through the domestic league almost unhindered, the Swiss team have faced significantly greater challenges in the Europa League. The ability of the team was perhaps less important than the battling qualities that Young Boys Bern have produced on the pitch. YBB made 749 challenges in the group stage – the most of all the 48 teams. However, only 47% were won, one of the lowest rates. And: Young Boys committed the most fouls of all the teams in the group stage. One of those, the one made by Nsame, has cost the team from Bern the availability of their most potent striker going into the knockout stages. An absence that could exact a heavy price.
After the latest winning run in the league, Young Boys Bern can go into the games against Bayer 04 with confidence and self belief. The role of the favourites – also in view of the performances of both teams in the group stage – clearly falls to the Werkself, particularly as the Swiss have to manage without two key players. "We definitely see ourselves as the underdogs," said coach Seoane. "But that doesn’t mean we think we haven’t got a chance. We want to put on a good display and take our chances if they come." He knows: His team is playing well together, is well coached and has great experience on the European stage. In 2018, Young Boys beat Juventus 2-1 in the Champions League. A lot of the players and the coach Seoane know very well how surprises work.
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