RB Leipzig will look to stay in contention when they visit Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League. When the teams faced off at the Red Bull Arena two weeks ago, the German giants prevailed 3-1. It moved them up two spots and five points ahead of their upcoming hosts in second position in the section.
Preview (Red Star Belgrade vs. RB Leipzig)
When David Raum’s intense 12-minute drive struck the back of the net, Red Star appeared to be headed for a Red Bull Arena annihilation. However, as Leipzig exploited a few passing sequences in their defensive third, Leipzig gave Abraham Bakhar’s team a glimmer of hope. With a brilliant long-range curler, Xavi Simons attempted to put an end to that glimmer of hope. Red Star’s Marko Stamenic cut the deficit in half twenty minutes from the end. However, Dani Olmo poked home the game’s fourth and final goal to put Leipzig out of sight. It leaves the Serbian powerhouses waiting for their first European victory of the season.
Few would have predicted that Bakhar’s crop would beat Leipzig or Manchester City to a last-16 qualifying spot. This week’s hosts, who are currently tied at one point apiece in the Europa League. They will likely play a straight shootout against Young Boys for the consolation prize. It comes 32 years after their historic European Cup victory over Marseille in the 1991 final. Red Star’s poorer discipline record keeps them in last place in the four-team division for the time being. A loss to Leipzig would formally exclude them from consideration for the top two.
Red Star has been among the most vulnerable defenses in the Champions League since that fateful day in Bari, giving up 35 goals in their last 11 elite European games. Nevertheless, they will be coming into Tuesday’s match fresh off a 3-1 league victory over Radnik Surdilica. It extended their winning streak at home to seven games. Red Star has made up for its failures in Europe with a run of winning home games. Over the past week, the more respected team of RB Leipzig has seen its powers falter. When Marco Rose’s team traveled to Mainz for Saturday’s Bundesliga match, they tried to make up for those mistakes. Leipzig has already defeated Young Boys, Celtic, and Shakhtar Donetsk away from their German base.
Team News
The Red Star team looks healthy ahead of their encounter on Tuesday; nevertheless, winger Aleksandar Katai is suffering from a stomach ailment and missed the team’s victory over the weekend, while Filippo Falco is also dealing with an undisclosed issue. Other than that, Bakhar is fortunate to have a fully fit squad for Leipzig’s visit. Leipzig should field a cautious 3-5-2 formation, most likely with a two-pronged attack led by Cherif Ndiaye and Jovan Mijatovic. However, if they receive a warning on Tuesday, Milan Rodic, Marko Stamenic, and Hwang In-boom will all miss the team’s trip to Young Boys on November 28. That makes three players potentially suspended.
Leipzig does not have any players on a tightrope, but Olmo, who netted against Red Star two weeks ago, has returned to the medical room with a major shoulder injury. He will probably miss the remainder of 2023 while he recovers from surgery. Rose’s defensive ranks are further weakened by the absence of El Chadaille Bitshiabu, who has a similar injury and may miss the trip to Belgrade. Willi Orban’s knee injury is also unlikely to improve before the end of the month. Yussuf Poulsen only participated in individual training on Monday, and Timo Werner will miss the trip due to illness, dealing a double blow to the visitors’ offensive line.
Red Star Belgrade 1-2 RB Leipzig
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