Sporting CP are looking to deliver another strong Europa League campaign as they take on Young Boys of Switzerland this weekend.
Young Boys reached the playoff round for the Europa League knockout stages by finishing 3rd in Champions League Group G, a group that contained Manchester City, RB Leipzig and Crvena zvezda.
The Swiss champions managed just four points in that group which is at the very lower end of what was expected of them, and likely on balance they'll have been disappointed with their return.
Like all teams relegated to the Europa League from the Champions League, it's a pretty big opportunity to make a deeper run in a European competition but the Swiss side might feel hard done by here having been handed one of the toughest possible draws.
They're flying domestically, as they come into this game top of the Swiss Super League league table with a seven-point cushion having lost just one of their last nine league games.
They're very, very tough to beat on their own patch too, with Manchester City and RB Leizpig the only visiting teams to win at Bern's Stadion Wankdorf this season.
A win by any margin would be a good result for the Swiss side here but they'll have to be at their best to get it.
Sporting CP find themselves in the Europa League's playoff round for the knockout stages after finishing 2nd in Europa League Group D, a group that contained Atalanta, SK Sturm Graz and Raków Częstochowa.
After being drawn into a group with Atalanta, it was never going to be easy to secure top spot but they'll still have been disappointed to have finished 2nd having fallen to a frustrating defeat on their own patch to Atalanta early in the group.
That was the only game they lost in the group stages, though, and they've since maintained a very strong run of form as they come into this game 2nd in the league table, level on points with Benfica while also having a game in hand, having won eleven of their last twelve games.
They've been strong when playing away from home too, with Rúben Amorim's men having won five of their last six games on the road.
Sporting were knocked out of this competition at the quarterfinal stage last season after a tight 2-1 aggregate defeat to Juventus, but having beaten Arsenal in the previous round they've shown they're more than capable of mixing it with the better sides in Europe.
Despite facing an opponent coming down from the Champions League, the Portuguese outfit are the clear favourites for this tie and should progress into the next round.
For our Young Boys vs. Sporting CP prediction, we're going for a 2-1 win for the away side.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this weekend’s action.
