Red Star Belgrade welcomes Hapoel Be'er Sheva to Marakana for the second leg of the third qualifying round. After a 1:0 defeat in Hungary, Dejan Stanković's men seek a victory that would lead to the play-off.
Red Star Belgrade's footballers play one of the most important matches of the season tonight at 8 PM at the "Rajko Mitić" stadium. In the second leg of the third qualifying round for the Champions League, they host Israeli side Hapoel Be'er Sheva with a clear goal - to overturn the 1-0 deficit from the first leg played seven days ago in Hungary.
Coach Dejan Stanković has opted for an attacking lineup with Mateus in goal, and in front of him, the defensive wall consists of Seol, Lukasen, Eraković, and Tiknizjan. The midfield is held by Krunić and Abu Fani, while Bukari, Kostov, and Ivanić will provide creativity and pace on the flanks. At the top of the attack is Arnautović.
The atmosphere ahead of the match is at its peak, the stands are filling up, and everything is ready for a spectacle that could take the red-and-whites a step closer to the elite competition. Zvezda entered the tie as heavy favorites, but they did not justify that in the first match. According to Transfermarkt, Zvezda's squad is valued at €116.75 million, while Hapoel Be'er Sheva is worth just €20 million. The most expensive player for the red-and-whites is 18-year-old midfielder Vasilije Kostov, valued at €25 million, which is more than the entire Israeli squad.
The visitors, led by coach Ran Kozuh, do not hide that they expect a tough match. Hapoel line up with Marsijano in goal, Mizrahi, Miguel Vitor, Rotman, and Amador in defense, Jehušua, Lucas Ventura, and Perec in midfield, and Ist, Zlatanović, and Ahmed in attack. Incidentally, the most expensive player for the Israeli champions is forward Dan Biton, valued at €2 million.
The main referee for the match is Sweden's Glen Per Niberg. The winner of this tie will face the better side from the Orhus - Sabah clash in the Champions League playoff round. In case of failure, Zvezda would face Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League qualifiers, and if they fail there as well, they would secure a spot in the Conference League group stage.
The match is underway, with the current score at 0-0. Red Star is chasing a goal that would cancel out the Israeli side's minimal advantage and bring new hope for a place among Europe's elite.
