Preview

November 6, Gelsenkirchen, AufSchalke, 19:45
Live: Megogo

History and path to the UCL

Young Boys was founded in 1898 in Bern. This is one of the most successful clubs in Switzerland: the team are 17-time national champions, 8-time domestic Cup holders, and have won 1 Super Cup. In the international arena, the highest achievements of the Yellow-and-Blacks are the European Cup semi-finals (1958/59) and the Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals (1987/88). The Young Boys have dominated the Swiss Super League in recent years, winning gold medals in 6 of the last 7 championships. Last season, the Bees secured the title with a 12-point lead over their nearest competitors, earning the right to participate in the Champions League qualifying stage.

Start of the 2024/25 season

In the summer, Young Boys appointed a new coach, Patrick Rahmen, but the season started poorly, with three consecutive defeats and three draws in the Super League. Success in the Champions League qualification, where the Bern-based side beat Galatasaray twice (3-2, 1-0), helped to improve the situation a little. However, already at the main stage of the tournament, the team have not scored any points yet, having suffered defeats against Aston Villa (0-3), Barcelona (0-5) and Inter (0-1). On October 8, Rahmen was dismissed, and 53-year-old Joel Magnin became Young Boys head coach. Under his leadership, the team played 5 matches, in particular, they won against Luzern (2-1) and Basel (3-2) and tied with the league leaders Zurich (0-0), which slightly improved their position in the table, so currently the Yellow-and-Blacks have 13 points (goal difference: 16-22) and are in 10th spot in the Super League.

Squad and leaders

One of the reasons for the difficult start of the season for Young Boys was the difficult personnel situation – currently 8 players of the team are injured, including almost all the main defenders. The captain of the Bern outfit is 32-year-old central defender Loris Benito. The most prolific players in the current season are forwards Joel Monteiro and Silvere Ganvoula (both have 4 goals in the league). According to the Transfermarkt, the most expensive player of the club is 25-year-old midfielder Filip Ugrinic (estimated value – EUR 7 million).

Head-to-head record

Shakhtar and Young Boys met in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League qualifying stage. In the first leg in Lviv, the Miners, under the leadership of Paulo Fonseca, won through the goals from Bernard and Yevhen Seleznov (2-0). However, in the return match in Switzerland, the brace from the Yellow-and-Blacks’ player Yuya Kubo turned the confrontation into a penalty shootout, where luck was on the side of the hosts (2-0, 4-2 on penalties).

The Shakhtar vs Young Boys match will be officiated by the judging panel from Israel: referee Orel Grinfeld, assistants Roy Hassan and Idan Yarkoni. Video assistant referee Tiago Martins (POR).