Barcelona v Young Boys Bet Builder Tips

Lamine Yamal has put in some stellar performances this season, registering four goals and five assists in eight La Liga games so far. He is currently tied with Robert Lewandowski with the most goal involvement in the Spanish top flight this campaign. Notably, he has only failed to register a goal or assist in one of his eight games.

Extending the sample size, Yamal got on the scoresheet for Barcelona in their opening Champions League fixture, and that was despite Barcelona being hindered by an early red card. With Barcelona priced at just 1.08 to secure victory, Yamal should be heavily involved in the attacking third, with an ideal matchup against a leaky Young Boys defence who recently lost 3-0 to Aston Villa.

Young Boys are yet to keep a clean sheet this season in all competitions and Yamal will fancy his chances of causing some damage here.

In addition to his goalscoring exploits, Lamine Yamal has drawn the second-most fouls in La Liga this season, averaging 3.01 fouls drawn per 90. He is incredibly effective at drawing contact, and is often heavily involved in the build up play for Barcelona. To exemplify that further, Lamal has drawn at least two fouls in every start so far this season, and at least three fouls drawn in six out of eight.

The 17-year-old was afforded some rest in the previous game against Osasuna, as he featured off the bench for the final 30 minutes. Because of that, he should potentially play the full 90 minutes here as Barcelona will look to secure three points.

Abdu Conte made his debut for Young Boys against Aston Villa, following a loan move from Troyes. He replaced Jaouen Hadjam for the final 30 minutes in that game, and has started the last two league games at left back.

With that in mind, he is likely to face off against Lamine Yamal on the flank. Abdu Conte made exactly two fouls in his recent starts, despite not featuring for the full 90. He was substituted after 68 minutes against Winterthur, and played just the first-half most recently against Grasshoppers.

His replacement in both games was Hadjam, who is averaging 0.8 fouls per game this season, despite seeing limited minutes. Considering how Barcelona seem to bias attacks down their right flank to Yamal, Abdu Conte is set to be extremely busy on the defensive front.

A testament to his aggression, Mohamed Ali Camara received a straight red card against Yverdon in his first appearance of the season for Young Boys. In that game, despite featuring for just 62 minutes, he committed five fouls.

In just six games in all competitions, the centre back has made 12 fouls, averaging 2.0 fouls per game. Against Aston Villa, he made exactly one foul. However, he also completed three out of four attempted tackles, highlighting his willingness to duel, and defensive involvement. That is set to increase against Barcelona at the Nou Camp.

He should find duels against Robert Lewandowski, who has drawn a foul in eight out of ten appearances so far this campaign, averaging 1.48 fouls drawn per 90.

As with a few key players for Barcelona, Alejandro Balde was afforded a rest against Osasuna in the previous game, suggestive that he should play close to the full 90 here barring any mitigating circumstances.

When playing the 90 this season, Balde has drawn a foul in all four games – averaging an eye-catching 3.75 fouls drawn per game. Balde only failed to draw a foul against Valencia in the first game of the season, he was also withdrawn after just 64 minutes by Hansi Flick in that game.

Balde is currently drawing an average of 2.76 fouls per 90 in all competitions this season, reflective of his high involvement in games, particularly on the ball. Only Lamine Yamal has drawn more fouls this campaign.

Joel Monteiro has a tendency to duel strongly, and has made 12 fouls in his last six starts, with at least one foul committed in all of those matches. That includes two fouls against Aston Villa in round one of the Champions League, where he was booked.

In that game, Monteiro featured on the right-wing, although his preferred position is on the left. Regardless of where he starts, he draws a good matchup for fouls. On the right he will duel against the aforementioned Alejandro Balde, whereas on the left he will have to help out defensively against Lamine Yamal. Monteiro is averaging 2.04 fouls per 90 this season, amongst the highest total in the Young Boys squad. .

Robert Lewandowski has been Barcelona’s most prolific shooter this season, averaging 3.7 shots per game in all competitions, which is the highest amount in the squad. The Polish striker has registered at least two shots on target in six of his eight La Liga appearances.

He failed to have a shot on target in his most recent game against Osasuna, although that was without his usual wingers Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, so naturally chances were limited. He also did not register a shot against Monaco, but Barcelona were crucially reduced to ten men early on.

Against a Young Boys side who have failed to keep a clean sheet all season, chances should be readily available in the box, especially considering that Barcelona are priced at 1.08 to win this game.

Results for Young Boys have been incredibly underwhelming this season, but shot counts have remained high. Against a strong Aston Villa outfit, Young Boys managed 12 shots, with five on target, drawing five saves from Emi Martinez. Interestingly, they generated just 0.59 xG in total.

Five of their seven shots were from distance, with another five shots taken from near the edge of the box. With a tendency to shoot from distance, opposition goalkeepers are often forced into relatively simple saves. In eleven games in all competitions this season, they have drawn at least three saves in eight of those.

Barcelona presents a tough matchup, but Young Boys excel on the break, so can certainly cause problems, especially given that defending counter attacks has been a weakness for the Catalans so far.

Written by an Andy verified content writer