Red Star Belgrade has already played in the Champions League group stage, which officially debuted last season following the reform decided by UEFA. The Serbs, however, despite failing to qualify for the round of 16, did not disappoint, finishing 29th and earning two wins (against Young Boys and Stuttgart). Their goal now is to return: they have already passed two qualifying rounds, beating the Gibraltarians Lincoln Red Imps 6-1 on aggregate and eliminating the formidable Polish side Lech Poznan, who they beat 3-1 in the first leg (the return leg in Belgrade ended 1-1).
The draw with Lech was the only one among many victories: in fact, Red Star has won four out of four in the league and is level on points with city rivals Partizan. Vladan Milojevic’s men have not lost in 15 games in all competitions and boast a very long unbeaten run at home: 17 home games without defeat. This is something that Pafos, the big surprise of these preliminary rounds, will have to take into account. For the Cypriots, it is already a success to have made it this far, considering that they had never participated in a UEFA competition before last year: the Champions League would be a fitting reward for a club that has been pursuing this ambitious project for several years, growing season after season. Although the Cypriot league has not even started yet, Juan Carlos Carcedo’s team is unbeaten in seven games and has so far disposed of Maccabi Tel Aviv and Dynamo Kiev in the qualifiers, conceding barely a goal in four games.
Odds comparison
Red Star’s victory is priced at 1.52 on Lottomatica and 1.55 on Snai. The “Under 2.5” bet is priced at 2.10 on Lottomatica and 2.15 on Snai.
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Prediction
Red Star’s long unbeaten home record suggests they should be favored, but Pafos will be a very tough obstacle for the Serbs to overcome: the Cypriots are well organized defensively and the feeling is that they will be able to limit the damage caused by the red and white fortress of the Marakana. The total number of goals could be less than three.
Probable line-ups for Red Star Belgrade vs. Pafos
RED STAR BELGRADE (4-2-3-1): Matheus; Seol, Veljkovic, Lekovic, Tiknizyan; Elsnik, Kostov; Milson, Duarte, Olayinka; Ndiaye.
PAFOS (4-2-3-1): Michail; Bruno, Luckassen, Goldar, Pileas; Pepe, Sunjic; Correia, Dragomir, Orsic; Tankovic.