Young Boys v Odense Preview

Young Boys v Odense Preview

 

Odense BK are hoping to claim their first Europa League points when they travel to Young Boys on Thursday. 

However, midfielder Andreas Johansson fears the odds are stacked against his side on the artificial pitch of the Stade de Suisse.
The Danish club have lost both of their Group H fixtures to date - against Getafe and Stuttgart - and another defeat tomorrow would all but end their hopes of a top-two finish.
A 5-0 rout at the hands of FC Copenhagen last weekend was hardly the best preparation, and Johansson admits his team-mates will be up against it in Bern.
"It will certainly be a difficult game," the Swedish midfielder told www.ob.dk.
"Young Boys have a huge advantage of playing on artificial turf in all their home games and have taken some good results there.
"It's a little harder playing on plastic and the ball moves faster. It is not quite what we're used to and above all it's the pace which differs. We'll have to focus on our opponents a little more than we usually do and what our tactics will be.
"It is going to be a battle and, looking at the table, we need points. But we will certainly try to take something from the match."
OB coach Uffe Pedersen will take 19 players to Switzerland, although goalkeeper Roy Carroll and striker Jonas Troest are both sidelined.
Young Boys sit second in the group standings after beating Getafe in their last clash, and assistant coach Erminio Piserchia is confident the team will also take maximum points against OB if they can replicate that performance.
"I've studied Odense's match against Copenhagen," he told Berner Zeitung. "The game was already over after half an hour because they had conceded three goals by then.
"Odense are vulnerable in defence, especially when playing on the break and making passes from deep on the pitch. That's when we need to attack.
"We'll have to be careful on set pieces as Odense are strong in the air. But we're playing well now and want to continue that on Thursday.
"If we play like we did in the 2-0 victory over Getafe, we have a great chance of winning."

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