Crvena Zvezda, better known as ‘Red Star Belgrade’ in Europe, currently tops Serbia’s First Division, with number two OFK Beograd 10 points behind.
Their campaign has been brilliant in Serbia, as they remain undefeated after 13 matchdays. They won twelve games and only drew once, against Mladost (2-2).
Despite Zvezda playing at home and Stadium Ratko Mitić being famous for its fiery atmosphere, the Champions League is a different story.
Although Red Star narrowly lost their Champions League opener against Benfica (1-2), a respectable result given the opposition, they are still pointless after three matches.
Against Barcelona, they will be without key players Vanja Drkusić, Adem Avdić and Peter Oleyinka, who are all sidelined due to injuries.
Under Hansi Flick, FC Barcelona has enjoyed a historic start, including a dominant 4-0 El Clásico win at the Bernabéu.
The Blaugrana have scored more than 40 goals across all competitions since the start of the season. Robert Lewandowski has already found the back of the net 26 times, but Fermín López, Ferran Torres and João Félix have also contributed, scoring 7 goals each.
Barcelona started the Champions League with a 2-1 defeat away at AS Monaco but bounced back by defeating Bayern Munich (4-1) and Young Boys (5-0).
In La Liga, only Osasuna was the only team to defeat Barcelona (4-2), in a match where Hansi Flick opted to rotate his squad. Besides this loss, Barca won all their matches and the success continued this weekend with a 3-1 derby victory against Espanyol.
However, the team’s complacency led to criticism from the fanbase and Flick himself.
Frenkie de Jong recently returned to action after being out for five months with an ankle injury. He initially faced criticism from Flick over his performance during both training and matches, and was recently benched in favour of Gavi.
However, after coming off the bench in recent games and demonstrating the commitment Flick demands, de Jong is likely to be included in the squad, though his starting spot remains uncertain as he works toward full match fitness.
Bet hereBarcelona could be expected to ace the match, but Crvena Zvezda are a notoriously difficult team to play against at home.
However, Crvena Zvezda has struggled to set foot in the Champions League with heavy losses against Inter (4-1) and AS Monaco (5-1). Although they have the home advantage, it seems unlikely that they will halt their UCL losing streak in this match.
Barcelona, on the other hand, will approach this match with confidence and are expected to easily secure the three points.
However, it will also be an important test for the Barca squad, as it features many U23 players who are not used to the intense Serbian atmosphere.
While Lamine Yamal shows promise, Lewandowski’s experience in high-stakes games makes him a solid pick to score.
I also chose Lewandowski because he’s one of the squad’s few senior members and is used to hostile stadiums. Staying focused and avoiding losing yourself amid the chaos is the key for Barcelona.
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