📊 Match Insights
Hapoel Beer Sheva is set to host Red Star Belgrade in an intriguing first leg of the Champions League third qualifying round. The Israeli champions demonstrated their resilience by overcoming a first-leg deficit in the previous round, while Red Star comes in after delivering one of the most impressive performances at this stage of the competition.
Both teams recognize the importance of establishing an advantage before the second leg in Belgrade. Hapoel Beer Sheva has gained confidence through their determination, but Red Star boasts greater European experience and a squad that has already hit its stride this season.
Hapoel Beer Sheva will face a tougher opponent this time around. They secured their spot in this round with a commendable 2-0 win against Vikingur Reykjavik, turning around a 2-1 first-leg loss to advance 3-2 on aggregate. This comeback showcased their resilience after a lackluster performance in Iceland, where they struggled to create clear scoring opportunities despite having the ball for long stretches.
The Camels have shown a tendency to grow into matches instead of asserting dominance from the outset. Their defensive organization was notably stronger in the second leg, and they appeared more decisive in attack once the game opened up.
This improvement will give the hosts hope, but Red Star poses a significantly greater challenge than Vikingur. Hapoel Beer Sheva must avoid another sluggish start, as the Serbian champions have a history of capitalizing on defensive errors in European qualifiers.
Current squad updates indicate no significant new injury issues ahead of the first leg. The core players who led the comeback against Vikingur are likely to remain the same, although the final starting eleven has yet to be officially announced.
Red Star Belgrade arrives with momentum after a commanding aggregate win over Larne. They triumphed 4-0 in the first leg...