Preview:Red Star Belgrade vs Pafos FC - prediction, team news, lineups

One step away from the promised land, Red Star Belgrade and Pafos FC will go head-to-head for a place in the Champions League, starting with Tuesday's first leg in Serbia.

After coming through two previous rounds, they now meet in the playoffs, with a highly coveted prize at stake.

Match preview

Red Star finished 29th in the inaugural league phase of the Champions League last season - beating Young Boys and Stuttgart - and they are now just two games away from an immediate return.

Having eased past Lincoln Red Imps with a 6-1 aggregate win in round two, they inched closer to a third consecutive appearance in the competition proper by beating Lech Poznan earlier this month.

The Serbian champions put themselves in control with an impressive 3-1 victory in Poland, before playing out a 1-1 draw in Belgrade despite going down to 10 men.

Boasting a perfect record and plus-14 goal difference after four games of their latest domestic title defence, Vladan Milojevic's men then beat Mladost Lucani 4-1 in the SuperLiga last weekend.

Not only are Crvena Zvezda undefeated in 15 competitive games across all competitions, but they also have a 17-match home unbeaten streak to defend - so a visit to the notorious 'Marakana' is never straightforward.

While Tuesday's hosts are old hands - and even lifted Europe's top trophy back in 1991 - Pafos are making their Champions League debut this year.

In fact, it is only their second season in UEFA competition, having written history by reaching the Conference League knockout phase last term.

After beating Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-1 on aggregate in the second qualifying round, the Cypriot champions then eliminated Dynamo Kyiv at the start of August, winning home and away while keeping two clean sheets.

Following a 1-0 success in the first leg, they ran out 2-0 winners at home, with Mislav Orsic and Joao Correia both getting their name on the scoresheet.

While the Cypriot league has not yet kicked off, Juan Carlos Carcedo's side are unbeaten in 10 games dating back to last season, so they will not be short of confidence despite a relative lack of experience.

Red Star Belgrade Champions League form: W W W D

Red Star Belgrade form (all competitions): W W W W D W

Pafos FC Champions League form: D W W W

Team News

Red Star have been heavily rotating their squad between domestic and Champions League matches this summer, so Vladan Milojevic will revert to his strongest lineup again.

Matheus Magalhaes is set to return between the posts, while - despite veteran striker Aleksandar Katai netting a hat-trick on Friday - Cherif Ndiaye should start up front. The latter usually joins forces with Bruno Duarte, who has scored three times in European qualifying so far.

However, Brazilian centre-back Rodrigao will be suspended after his red card against Lech Poznan, and ex-AC Milan man Rade Krunic is sidelined due to accumulated bookings.

Pafos midfielder Domingos Quina must also serve a ban, but Juan Carlos Carcedo still has plenty of options to choose from in his multinational squad. Goalkeeper Neofytos Michail and left-back Kostas Pileas may again be the only Cypriot starters.

Jaja, Anderson Silva and Swedish striker Muamer Tankovic are all vying for selection in attack, with support possibly provided by Mislav Orsic and ex-Arsenal winger Vlad Dragomir.

Red Star Belgrade possible starting lineup: Matheus; Seol, Veljkovic, Lekovic, Tiknizyan; Elsnik, Kostov; Milson, Duarte, Olayinka; Ndiaye

Pafos FC possible starting lineup: Michail; Bruno, Luckassen, Goldar, Pileas; Pepe, Sunjic; Correia, Dragomir, Orsic; Tankovic