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

Red Star Belgrade and Celtic will get their Europa League campaigns underway on Wednesday night as they clash on matchday one of the league phase.

The hosts dropped into this competition after losing to Pafos in the Champions League playoff qualifying round, while the visitors were defeated by Kairat Almaty at the same stage.

Match preview

Red Star Belgrade have enjoyed an almost entirely positive start to the 2025-26 season, with 10 wins, two draws and only one defeat from their 13 games across all competitions.

The Star have won all of their seven fixtures in the Mozzart Bet Superliga, leaving them top of the standings, while they progressed to the Champions League playoff qualifying round after beating Lincoln Red Imps and Lech Poznan in the second and third round.

However, their attempt at securing qualification to the Champions League for the third consecutive season were devastatingly ended in the playoff round, as the Star lost 3-2 on aggregate to Pafos.

Vladan Milojevic's side have immediately responded to that disappointment by securing three straight wins in the league, and they will be aiming to carry that momentum into their first fixture in this year's Europa League.

Red Star Belgrade face a challenging opponent on matchday one, with Celtic set to travel to their home ground to begin their Europa League campaign.

The Bhoys have similarly enjoyed a strong beginning to the campaign, recording six wins and three draws from their first nine matches across all competitions.

Brendan Rodgers' men have won four and drawn one of their five Scottish Premiership matches, leaving them joint-top of the standings with Hearts, while they have also booked a Scottish League Cup semi-final tie with Rangers, having defeated Falkirk 4-1 in the second round and Partick Thistle 4-0 in the quarter-finals.

Celtic's only disappointment has come in the Champions League, as the Bhoys were also eliminated from the qualifiers at the playoff stage.

The Bhoys went into their tie with Kairat Almaty as the overwhelming favourites to secure a place in the league phase, but Celtic were unable to secure the victory as they drew both legs 0-0.

Celtic would go on to lose 3-2 on penalties to Kairat Almaty, meaning they were eliminated from the Champions League and will now appear in the Europa League.

As a result of both teams failing to qualify for the Champions League, they will each be desperate to go far in the Europa League, and a victory on matchday one will be of huge importance.

Red Star Belgrade form (all competitions):

W W W D L W

Celtic form (all competitions):

W W D D W D

Team News

Red Star Belgrade are anticipated to remain without Rade Krunic for Wednesday's game due to a muscle injury sustained in late August.

Elsewhere, Aleksander Katai has enjoyed a sensational start to the term for the Star, with 11 goals in 10 appearances, and the striker should start alongside veteran Marko Arnautovic in attack.

As for Celtic, Alistair Johnston, Auston Trusty, Jota and Anthony Ralston are all ruled out for the foreseeable future due to ongoing injury issues.

In the absence of both Johnston and Ralston, 19-year-old Colby Donovan is expected to keep his place at right-back, with Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales and Kieran Tierney also likely to start in defence.

Further forward, Kelechi Iheanacho could lead the line for the Bhoys, with Daizen Maeda and Michel Ange Balikwisha potentially partnering the striker in attack.

Red Star Belgrade possible starting lineup:

Matheus; Seol, Lekovic, Veljkovic, Tiknizyan; Kostov, Elsnik, Handel, Ivanic; Katai, Arnautovic

Celtic possible starting lineup:

Schmeichel; Donovan, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney; Nygren, McGregor, Hatate; Balikwisha, Iheanacho, Maeda

We say: Red Star Belgrade 1-2 Celtic

We expect a tight encounter between these two teams as they aim to get their Europa League campaigns underway with a win, but we expect Celtic's quality to help carry them to a narrow victory at Red Star Belgrade's home ground.

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