Young Boys vs Crvena Zvezda facts

Young Boys take on Crvena Zvezda for the second season running in the teams' final UEFA Champions League game in the inaugural league phase.

Neither side can progress to the knockout phase, Young Boys one of two clubs alongside Slovan Bratislava still to pick up a point and losing 1-0 at Celtic on Matchday 7. Their Serbian visitors were beaten 2-3 at home by PSV Eindhoven in their last fixture and have three points, from a 5-1 home win against Stuttgart on Matchday 5.

Previous meetings

Young Boys wins 1
Crvena Zvezda wins 1
Draws 4
Young Boys goals 9
Crvena Zvezda goals 10

2004/05 Champions League second qualifying round
Young Boys 2-2 Crvena Zvezda
Crvena Zvezda 3-0 Young Boys
Nikola Žigić's late double retrieved Crvena Zvezda's two-goal deficit in the Zürich first leg; he also completed the scoring in Belgrade.

2019/20 Champions League qualifying play-offs
Young Boys 2-2 Crvena Zvezda
Crvena Zvezda 1-1 Young Boys
A penalty from substitute Guillaume Hoarau earned YB a first-leg draw after Miloš Degenek and Mateo García had helped Crvena Zvezda recover from Roger Assalé's early opener. Crvena Zvezda went through on away goals after a 1-1 draw in Belgrade despite El Fardou Ben Nabouhane's late own goal, Aleksa Vukanović having given them the lead.

2023/24 Champions League group stage
Crvena Zvezda 2-2 Young Boys
Young Boys 2-0 Crvena Zvezda
Cherif Ndiaye's 35th-minute opener for Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade was cancelled out by Filip Ugrinic (48). A Cédric Itten penalty looked to have given Young Boys all three points, but Osman Bukari earned the Serbian champions a draw with two minutes to go. A Kosta Nedeljković own goal (8) and Lewin Blum (29) struck in Bern to seal third place in Group G for the home side.

Form guide

Young Boys

Record vs Serbian clubs: W1 D5 L2 F11 A13
Home record vs Serbian clubs: W1 D3 L0

Last season's defeat of Crvena Zvezda was Young Boys' first win against Serbian opposition at the eighth attempt; apart from their six meetings with Crvena Zvezda, they faced Partizan in the 2017/18 UEFA Europa League group stage (1-1 h, 1-2 a).

The first three of YB's home matches against Serbian visitors had finished in draws.

Young Boys are in the Champions League proper for the fourth time – all in the last seven seasons.

In 2023/24, the Swiss side finished third in their section behind Manchester City and Leipzig but ahead of Crvena Zvezda thanks to that 2-0 home win against the Serbian side on Matchday 5; they had drawn 2-2 in Belgrade, losing their other four games.

Young Boys therefore moved across into the Europa League but their campaign lasted only one tie, losing to Sporting CP in the knockout round play-offs (1-3 h, 1-1 a).

Young Boys started this season in the Champions League play-offs, beating Galatasaray 3-2 at home and 1-0 away.

The Swiss club have lost seven of their last ten European home matches – as many as in their previous 27 games – winning the other three. They have been beaten in Bern by Aston Villa (0-3), Inter Milan (0-1) and Atalanta (1-6) in the league phase, the latter equalling their heaviest home European defeat.

YB won their sixth Swiss Super League title in seven years in 2023/24, their 17th championship overall.

Crvena Zvezda

Record vs Swiss clubs: W5 D7 L5 F29 A21
Away record vs Swiss clubs: W1 D4 L3

Crvena Zvezda have won five of their 17 matches against Swiss clubs, four of those victories coming at home.

Having lost their first two games away to Swiss clubs, Crvena Zvezda were unbeaten in five, drawing three in a row since a 4-1 win at Grasshoppers in the first round second leg of their victorious 1990/91 European Cup campaign (5-2 aggregate) – their sole win in Switzerland – before losing at Young Boys last season.

The Belgrade side are in the Champions League proper for the fourth time – all since 2018/19.

Crvena Zvezda finished fourth in Group G in 2023/24, behind Manchester City, Leipzig and Young Boys.

The Serbian club started their 2024/25 European campaign in the play-offs, turning round a 2-1 first-leg loss at Norwegian champions Bodø/Glimt with a 2-0 home win to progress.

Crvena Zvezda have lost their last 11 away European games, conceding 11 goals in this season's league phase at Inter (0-4), Monaco (1-5) and AC Milan (1-2). A 2-0 victory at Armenian side Pyunik in the 2022/23 Champions League third qualifying round is the only one of their last 13 away they have not lost.

Crvena Zvezda claimed their seventh successive league title – and 35th overall – in 2023/24, also winning the Serbian Cup for the fourth season in a row.

Links and trivia

Has played in Switzerland:
Nasser Djiga (Basel 2021–23)

Darian Males and Djiga were Basel team-mates between 2021 and 2022, making 40 appearances together.

Latest news

Young Boys

Held 0-0 at Gasshopper-Club on Saturday and at home by Winterthur on 18 January, the Swiss champions have won just six of their 20 Swiss Super League games this season (D7 L7), although they were victorious in their last fixture of 2024, 2-1 at home to Servette on 15 December.

A 3-1 loss at Sion on 7 December is, however, Young Boys' only loss in their last nine league games (W4 D4).

That was YB's seventh league reverse of the season – the same as in the whole of 2023/24.

Having parted company with Patrick Rahmen in October, YB named Joël Magnin as interim coach before appointing Giorgio Contini on 18 December; he has signed a two-and-a-half year deal.

Young Boys were 4-1 friendly winners against Romanian side Sepsi on 7 January and, after friendly defeats by Hannover (1-2) and Ludogorets (0-1), beat Swiss third division leaders Biel-Bienne 6-0 on 15 January.

Abdu Conté, whose last appearance came on 7 December, has been sidelined.

Saidy Janko has not played this season due to a series of injuries. On 24 January Young Boys confirmed the defender would undergo back surgery that is expected to sideline him for the remainder of the campaign.

On 18 January Young Boys announced the signing of midfielder Rayan Raveloson, who joins from Auxerre on a contract until 2028.

Crvena Zvezda

Before the home defeat by PSV on Matchday 7 Crvena Zvezda had won all three games since losing at AC Milan on Matchday 6, scoring 16 goals and conceding three.

The Serbian champions have won 19 of their 20 league games this season, scoring 71 goals and conceding 12.

Crvena Zvezda have won 21 of their last 28 games in all competitions, losing the other seven – all in the Champions League.

Having claimed their fourth successive Serbian Cup in 2023/24, Crvena Zvezda will be at home to OFK Beograd in the last 16 of this season's competition.

Crvena Zvezda's league campaign resumes at TSC on 1 February.

The Belgrade club have recorded friendly wins against Mura (4-2), Pogoń Szczecin (5-2), Surkhon Termez (3-1) and Levski Sofia (4-0) this month.

Cherif Ndiaye, who has four goals in his last four league appearances, is Crvena Zvezda's top scorer in the league this season with 13 goals, three more than Luka Ilić. Bruno Duarte, who has four in his last five league games, is on nine.

Peter Olayinka suffered an Achilles injury on Matchday 3 and has not played since.