RB Leipzig vs Crvena zvezda prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-10-24 19:00.
RB Leipzig brought to an end their three match winless run by beating Darmstadt 3-1 on Saturday, with LoĂŻs Openda setting the tone for the afternoon by scoring the fastest Bundesliga goal of the season so far after just 44 seconds. A similarly fast start against Red Star Belgrade would be welcomed, especially as Leipzig know a victory here would put them in a great position to secure a top-two spot in UEFA Champions League (UCL) Group G.
This will be Leipzig's first-ever meeting in UEFA competition against Serbian opposition, but with a mixed bag of results across their last nine UCL home games (W3, D2, L4), it’s anyone's guess which Leipzig team will turn up. Boss Marco Rose will hope it’s the one who have won five of their last six UCL group stage games (L1), with only holders Manchester City defeating them in that spell.
Red Star Belgrade make the trip to Germany on the back of a 3-2 victory against Javor at the weekend. That win ensured they remain within striking distance of neighbours Partizan at the Serbian SuperLiga summit, and as rank outsiders in Group G, focusing more on their domestic exploits is surely something that has crossed the mind of boss Barak Bakhar, who is tasked with ending a seven-match losing UCL group stage away run.
Only one of those defeats came by fewer than a two-goal margin, which only serves to add to the size of the task that awaits Red Star here in Germany. A dismal travelling record to this nation (W4, L12) only serves as yet another crushing psychological blow for a side who know defeat here leaves them staring down the barrel of a third successive failure to make it beyond UCL group stage.
Players to watch: Openda was on the scoresheet in Leipzig’s last UCL home outing, and he has interestingly scored four of his team’s last six goals. Red Star had 18-year-old Jovan Mijatović to thank for the winning goal at the weekend, and he already has one European goal to his name this season – netting against Young Boys U19’s in the UEFA Youth League.
Hot stat: Red Star Belgrade have scored at least twice in ten of their 13 matches in all competitions this season (W9, D1, L3).