Form and Line-up Larne FC
The Northern Irish champions have been slow to get going in the new campaign. Gary Haveron's side edged past Coleraine FC in the Super Cup (1:0 after penalties), after which problems began in the first round of Champions League qualifying. Against Tre Fiori FC (3:1 on aggregate), Larne FC only stayed ahead of their opponents in spells. The San Marino side even opened the scoring in the return match in Northern Ireland, but lost the initiative through their own mistakes.
Key numbers for Larne FC:
Gary Haveron's side have not scored more than two goals since the start of the season.
Larne FC managed only four shots on target against Tre Fiori FC in the last round on their own pitch. The San Marino side finished with nine men.
Larne FC have the third-lowest squad value in the current round (3.5 million euros).
Probable Larne FC line-up (4-3-3):
Rohan Ferguson — Aaron Donnelly, Matthew Ridley, Dan Bent, Tomas Cosgrove — Sean Graham, Ronan Doherty, Christopher Gallagher — Matthew Lusty, Montel Gibson, Conor McKendry.
Form and Line-up Red Star Belgrade
Dejan Stankovic's side played a series of demanding friendlies, including a defeat to Zenit St. Petersburg (1:3) in a friendly match. That preparation did the Belgrade team good. In the opening round of the SuperLiga, Red Star Belgrade thrashed FK Macva Sabac (5:0), giving the top-flight newcomers no chance. Kostov recorded 2+1, while Arnautovic has already managed to return to the red-and-whites' squad. The veteran forward scored twice for Austria at the 2026 World Cup, going out only in early July to eventual champions Spain (0:3).
Key numbers for Red Star Belgrade:
Dejan Stankovic's side have scored in every match of the new season. They have registered 11 goals in total across five games.
Red Star Belgrade created 3.73 xG and had 27 shots in the opening round of the SuperLiga.
Red Star Belgrade have the second-most valuable squad in the current qualifying round — 125.3 million euros. Only Fenerbahce are valued higher (333.5).
Probable Red Star Belgrade line-up (4-1-4-1):
Savo Radanovic — Nair Tiknizyan, Stefan Gudelj, Milos Veljkovic, Seol Young-woo — Rade Krunic — Mirko Ivanic, Mohammad Abu Fani, Vasilije Kostov, Loizos Loizou — Bruno Duarte.
Who Will Referee the Match
Rares Vidican (Romania)
Matches – 23 (international fixtures and SuperLiga, 2025/26);
Average fouls per match – 25;
Average yellow cards per match (including second yellows) – 5;
Matches with red cards – 1 out of 23;
Matches with penalties – 1 out of 23.
