Pafos (Cyp) vs Crvena zvezda (Srb) prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Qualification betting tips on match 2025-08-25 19:00.
[p]Pafos have the upper hand in this UEFA Champions League (UCL) qualification play-off round tie after securing a 2-1 victory away to opponents Red Star Belgrade last week.[/p]
[p]Match News and Current Form[/p]
[p]The experience of Pafos’ marathon European campaign last season is beginning to pay off. After setting a Cypriot record of 16 UEFA games in one season, their first attempt at qualifying for a UCL tournament proper has been near perfect with four wins from five games (D1) following last week’s triumph in Belgrade. Pafos’ opening league game was postponed to assist with their aim of becoming Cyprus’ first participant in a UCL group/league phase since APOEL in 2017/18, so they should be fresh and raring to go for this important encounter. [/p]
[p]The same goes for Red Star Belgrade after they too had the weekend off to focus on what they hope will be a second consecutive UCL league phase appearance. They also found themselves down 2-1 after one leg of the play-off round in the 2024/25 season, but on that occasion had home advantage and were able to overcome the deficit by defeating Bodø/Glimt 2-0. Their loss in that away leg, as well as in the away leg of the 2022/23 UCL play-off round (L 3-2 at Maccabi Haifa), illustrates the difficulty of the task ahead of them, though they’re set to be boosted by some important returnees.[/p]
[p]Head-to-Head History[/p]
[p]The first leg was the inaugural meeting between these teams as well as Pafos’ first against any Serbian opposition, while it ended a run of five consecutive draws for Red Star against Cypriot clubs. [/p]
[p]Hot Stats and Streaks[/p]
[p]Pafos kept a clean sheet in seven of their last ten UEFA home fixtures at any venue (W8, D1, L1). [/p]
[p]The first leg was the only one of Pafos’ five UEFA games this season to produce over 2.5 total goals. [/p]
[p]Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Red Star’s UEFA games since 2022/23 saw both teams score. [/p]
[p]Red Star have led at half-time in six of their seven competitive wins this season. [/p]
[p]Key Players to Watch and Missing Players[/p]
[p]With his match-winning strike last week, Bruno Duarte has scored in a stunning six of his seven competitive appearances this year. Red Star are reportedly set to start 36-year-old recruit Marko Arnautović, who scored goals for Inter in each of the two previous UCL campaigns. [/p]
[p]New Pafos recruit David Luiz is out again with a thigh injury, whilst last week’s scorer João Correia is a doubt. The Red Star pairing of Rade Krunić and Rodrigo are back from suspension, whilst Nemanja Radonjić could also return after missing the first leg. [/p]
[p]For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.[/p]
[p]Betting Analysis[/p]
[p]Red Star have a much stronger squad at their disposal for this leg, so we recommend backing Red Star to win this match. [/p]
[p][i]Author: Aaron Murphy[/i][/p]