Why Crvena Zvezda Are Favourites for the Match
The difference in the odds speaks for itself: 3.90 on Hapoel against 1.82 on Crvena Zvezda. That is a gap of more than two to one, and it is not connected to the hosts' formal status.
The Israelis do not have home advantage. The match will be played at a neutral stadium in Hungary, where Hapoel have already faced Vikingur Reykjavik, but no atmosphere of their own is created there.
Squad depth. In the first match against Larne, Arnautovic, Katai, Bukari, Kam and Krunic were left out of the starting line-up. Their opponents do not have anything close to that kind of bench.
Coach. Dejan Stankovic has been working with the team since the winter and has already led them to another title, while in the summer the club spent around 12 million euros on five new signings, so rotation does not damage the quality.
Match rhythm. The Serbs have played four official matches this season and won them all, including two in the SuperLiga. Hapoel have had three official games, and two of them were defeats.
European experience. Crvena Zvezda regularly reach the main stage of UEFA competitions, and their club coefficient of 46.500 is the third-highest among all participants in the third round of the Champions Path.
Form and Line-up Hapoel Beer-Sheva
Last season was the club's best for a long time: Hapoel won the Israeli championship, which ran from 23 August to 23 May. The title ended an eight-year wait. The new league season has not yet started, so all their match rhythm is coming only from the Champions League.
There have been three official matches this summer. On 16 July, Hapoel lost to Maccabi Tel-Aviv in the Israel Super Cup (1:3). That was followed by a defeat in Reykjavik against Vikingur Reykjavik (1:2) and a confident return leg in Szombathely (2:0), which took the team into the third round. The friendlies were more modest: a draw with Omonia (2:2) and a defeat to Legia Warsaw (1:3), but it is too early to judge them by July friendlies.
Kozuch's team play in a 4-3-3 with an emphasis on wide runs and crosses. Their strength is an organised midfield, where Kangwa and Ventura have time both to break up play and start attacks. The weakness is defending against quick switches of play: that is exactly how Vikingur Reykjavik punished the Israelis twice in the first match.
The squad has changed noticeably. Djibril Diop has come into defence and Niv Yehoshua into midfield, and both immediately established themselves in the starting XI. Goalkeeper Ofir Marciano and centre-back Miguel Vitor add experience, while Igor Zlatanovic has taken on the role of main goalscorer.
Key numbers for Hapoel Beer-Sheva:
Only one of their three official matches this summer has been won — the return leg against Vikingur Reykjavik (2:0);
In Champions League qualifying, the team have scored three goals in two games and conceded two;
No more than 3 goals have been scored in normal time in 6 of Hapoel Beer-Sheva's last 8 home matches in the Champions League.
Probable line-up (4-3-3): Ofir Marciano — Guy Mizrahi, Djibril Diop, Miguel Vitor, Matan Baltaksa — Kings Kangwa, Lucas Ventura, Niv Yehoshua — Zahi Ahmed, Igor Zlatanovic, Javan East.
Absentees: —.
Form and Line-up Crvena Zvezda
The Belgrade side come into the match in better shape. Last season, the club again completed a golden double, winning the SuperLiga and the national cup. The new championship has already started, and after two rounds Crvena Zvezda have six points: a thrashing of Macva (5:0) and a win over Vojvodina (3:1). The third-round match against Radnik was postponed because of European commitments, so the team will come into the game fresh.
The Serbs came through the second qualifying round without resistance. In Larne, they won 4:0, then added another five goals at home (5:0). Not a single goal conceded across two games — an indicator not only of their attack, but also of their defensive discipline. The only summer setback was a friendly against Zenit (1:3) in mid-July, but there is no need to draw conclusions from that.
Stankovic builds his game around possession. The main system is 4-3-2-1, with two attacking midfielders behind a single striker. Their strength is variety: the team are equally comfortable building along the ground and switching to long diagonals. The vulnerability appears on quick counter-attacks, when the full-backs push high, but the Belgrade side have not faced opponents of the level needed to exploit that this summer.
In the summer, the club invested around 12 million euros in the squad and signed five new players. The key figures remain the same: Mirko Ivanic takes on the captain's duties in midfield, Milos Veljkovic and Strahinja Erakovic hold the defence together, while Marko Arnautovic, Aleksandar Katai and Osman Bukari wait for their chance on the bench.
Key numbers for Crvena Zvezda:
4 consecutive wins in official matches in the new season;
In Champions League qualifying, the team have scored 9 goals in 2 games;
6 points from a possible 6 after 2 rounds of the Serbian SuperLiga.
Probable line-up (4-3-2-1): Matheus Magalhaes — Seol Young-Woo, Milos Veljkovic, Strahinja Erakovic, Nayair Tiknizyan — Loizos Loizou, Mohammad Abu Fani, Timi Max Elsnik — Vasilije Kostov, Mirko Ivanic — Bruno Duarte.
Absentees: —.
Who Will Referee the Match
Jesus Gil Manzano (Spain)
Matches – 8 (international matches, 2025–2026);
Average fouls per match – 22;
Average yellow cards per match (including second yellows) – 4.75;
Matches with red cards – 3 of 8;
Matches with penalties – 6 of 8.
