Preview: Red Star Belgrade vs Hapoel Be'er Sheva - prediction, team news, lineups

Down but not out, Red Star Belgrade will welcome Hapoel Be'er Sheva to Stadion Rajko Mitic for the second leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie.

The Red-Whites were beaten 1-0 by the Camels in the first leg, and will be confident of overturning the defect in midweek.

Match preview

Dejan Stankovic's Red Star have made an excellent start to the 2026-27 campaign overall, but their stumble in last week's first leg could prove severely damaging.

The Red-Whites took all three points in the Serbian SuperLiga last time out, triumphing 2-0 against Novi Pazar thanks to goals from Aleksandar Katai and Jay Enem either side of half time.

That victory marked a third consecutive victory in the league - a flawless beginning to Stankovic's title defence - and a fifth win from their six most recent games across all competitions.

That record will give Red Star hope that their first-leg defeat was a one-off, especially considering that the club have reached the group stage or league phase of a UEFA competition in each of the past nine seasons.

Additionally, Tuesday's hosts are heading into this match carrying a six-game unbeaten streak when playing as the home side, and fans will be optimistic about their side's chances as a result.

Meanwhile, Ran Kozuch's HBS are also champions of their national top flight, but their opening to 2026-27 has been mixed.

The Camels kicked off the season with a 3-1 beating by Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Super Cup final on July 16, before losing the first leg of their second qualifying round tie 2-1 against Vikingur Reykjavik.

However, Kozuch's side seem to have turned a corner recently, bouncing back with a 2-0 victory in the second leg against Vikingur to reach the third round, before getting the better of Red Star last week.

Results aside, the manager will be particularly pleased by his team's ability to keep consecutive clean sheets ahead of Tuesday's showdown - the first time HBS have done so since early May.

That upturn in form will give supporters reason to be hopeful, but after seeing the away team lose back-to-back games on the road, it remains to be seen whether they can hold out.

Another concern causing fans to doubt HBS is their record in Europe - the club have not progressed beyond the third qualifying round of any UEFA competition since 2022-23's foray into the Conference League's group stage.

Red Star Belgrade Champions League form:

Red Star Belgrade form (all competitions):

Hapoel Be'er Sheva Champions League form:

Hapoel Be'er Sheva form (all competitions):

Team News

Red Star have a generally fit squad for this clash, though are missing 18-year-old left-back Adem Advic, who suffered a cruciate ligament injury in June.

In his absence, Nair Tiknizyan could continue on the left of a four-man defence alongside Strahinja Erakovic, Derrick Luckassen and Seol Young-woo.

As for HBS, they are without versatile left-sided defender Matan Baltaxa, who is suspended after he was sent off in the first leg, so summer signing Pedro Amador may make his first start for the Camels in his stead.

At the opposite end of the pitch, striker Joao Victor is closing in on a return from a hamstring injury, but is likely to be sidelined for Tuesday's decisive clash.

With that in mind, Bruno Duarte looks set to lead the attack once again, supported by Osman Bukari, Vasilije Kostov and Mirko Ivanic.

Red Star Belgrade possible starting lineup:

Matheus; Seol, Luckassen, Erakovic, Tiknizyan; Krunic, Abu Fani; Bukari, Kostov, Ivanic; Duarte

Hapoel Be'er Sheva possible starting lineup:

Marciano; Mizrahi, Vitor, Rotman, Amador; Yehoshua, Ventura, Peretz; East, Zlatanovic, Ahmed

We say: Red Star Belgrade 2-0 Hapoel Be'er Sheva

The only blemish on Red Star's otherwise flawless season so far is their first-leg defeat against HBS, and they will be expecting to recover the deficit and reach the playoff round yet again.

By contrast, the visitors have a history of struggling at this stage in European competitions, and it would be a rare feat should they progress.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.