Barcelona will look to make it three wins in a row in the UEFA Champions League when they travel to Serbia to face Red Star Belgrade.
Red Star Belgrade will look to register their first point in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League campaign when they host La Liga table-toppers Barcelona at the Red Star Stadium on Wednesday.
The home team are one of the six teams who are yet to win a game in this year’s UEFA Champions League. They are 33rd on the points table and have a negative goal difference of -9.
While they are first in the Serbian league, Red Star Belgrade have suffered defeat at the hands of Benfica, Inter Milan and AS Monaco and now they have an even bigger challenge in Hansi Flick’s Barcelona.
The visitors are top of La Liga and they have been playing some exceptional football in the new campaign. While they started their UCL campaign with a defeat at the hands of Monaco, the Spanish giants bounced back with wins against Young Boys and Bayern.
Now, they will look to enter the top eight with against win when they square up against Red Star Belgrade. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Red Star Belgrade
Peter Olayinka and Nemanja Radonjic won’t be available for this fixture. Meanwhile, Omri Glazer and Ognjen Mimovic who have been out injured for the majority of this season are a doubt for this one.
The home team will line up in a 3-5-2 formation with Marko Ilic in goal. Young-woo Seol will pair up with Nasser Djiga and Uros Spajic in the heart of the defence.
Silas and Milan Rodic will feature as wing-backs for Red Star Belgrade. Rade Krunic will partner Timi Max Elsnik and Andrija Maksimovic in the centre of the park. The trio will look to shield the back line and provide a solid base. In attack, Bruno Duarte should pair up with Cherif Ndiaye.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Ilic; Young-woo, Spajic, Djiga; Silas, Krunic, Elsnik, Maksimovic, Rodic; Duarte, Ndiaye
Barcelona
Barcelona will remain without the services of Ferran Torres, Marc Bernal, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen and Eric Garcia.
Hansi Flick is expected to stick with the majority of the players who started in their last outing. They will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation where Inaki Pena will be in goal.
Jule Kounde should return to the XI and take up the right-back position while Alejandro Balde should continue at left-back. In the heart of the defence, Inigo Martinez should partner with young Pau Cubarsi.
Expect a change in the centre of the park with Frenkie de Jong coming in to partner Pedri. They will look to shield the backline and control the tempo of the game.
Dani Olmo should be the number ten with in-form Raphinha and Lamine Yamal on the flanks. Star striker Robert Lewandowski should continue to lead the line for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Key Stats
- Wednesday’s clash will be the first UEFA Champions League meeting between Barcelona and Red Star Belgrade.
- They last faced each other on the European stage back in 1996 during the Cup Winners’ Cup. That game ended 1-1.
- The home team have won two of their nine matches against the Spanish giants in major European competitions. Both their wins came in the Fairs Cup in the 1960s.
- Red Star Belgrade have been on the losing side in 17 of their 21 UCL fixtures.
- The home team have the highest loss rate of any team that has been involved in more than 20 Champions League games.
Player to Watch
Dani Olmo
Barcelona’s front three have been doing wonders for them. While Olmo also had a phenomenal start to life at the Catalan club with three goals in three league outings, a muscle injury kept him on the sidelines for a while. The Spanish international is back fit and he bagged two goals in their last league outings. Now, the 26-year-old will be aiming to make an impact in the UCL for the Spanish giants.
Prediction
Red Star Belgrade 0-2 Barcelona
The home team have the highest loss percentage in the Champions League, they have lost each of their first three games and things are unlikely to change against Barcelona. While they will look to create a historic upset, it is unlikely to happen given the kind of form the visitors have been in. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 2-0 win for the away team.