Anderlecht vs Young Boys

Lotto Park is the venue as Anderlecht and Young Boys go head-to-head in the second leg of their mouth-watering Europa Conference League playoff tie.

New manager Felipe Mazzu has turned Andrelecht’s fortunes around almost instantaneously. After last season’s disappointing 3rd-place finish in First Division A, ‘Les Mauves et Blancs’ have enjoyed a stellar start to the new season, racking up an eye-catching six wins from seven competitive matches (L1), including a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Young Boys. In fact, coming into this fixture, they’ve won five consecutive games via an aggregate score of 12-1, winning their last three outings without conceding. The stage looks set for Anderlecht’s return to major European competition following a three-year hiatus, but there’s no room for complacency. Indeed, the first-leg triumph over Young Boys has tipped the scales into the Belgians’ favour following an evenly-poised six-game record against Swiss clubs in UEFA competition (W2, D2, L2).

On the other hand, Young Boys’ bid to advance to UEFA competition proper for the seventh season in succession is hanging by a thread. However, their all-time European record against Belgian sides (W4, D1, L2) offers them a lifeline in this tie, as does a morale-bolstering 10-1 romping of non-league outfit Schoenberg in the Swiss Cup last time out. On top of that, Raphael Wicky’s men have won both Europa Conference League qualifiers away from home this term without conceding. It gets better, as Young Boys haven’t lost any of their five competitive games on the hostile ground this season (W4, D1), keeping four clean sheets in the process. Moreover, they’ve netted 3+ goals in three of their last four contest, suggesting a 1-0 deficit is well within their reach.