Match Information
Match Overview
FK Crvena Zvezda host Hapoel Beer Sheva at Stadion Rajko Mitic on August 11, 2026 in the 3rd Qualifying Round of the UEFA Champions League, with this fixture serving as the second leg of the tie following the sides' meeting on August 4.
The aggregate picture is the defining storyline here. Hapoel Beer Sheva won the first leg 1-0 on their own ground on August 4, meaning Crvena Zvezda arrive at home knowing they must overturn a one-goal deficit to progress. That places the onus squarely on the Serbian side to attack from the opening whistle, while Beer Sheva can approach the return leg with a cushion, potentially set up to absorb pressure and look for opportunities on the counter or a away goal that would extend their advantage. How Dejan Stankovic's side manages that balance between urgency and patience will likely define the tie's outcome.
Form heading into the second leg offers contrasting narratives. Crvena Zvezda's domestic form has been strong, with wins over Vojvodina and a comfortable 5-0 aggregate-building win over Larne in the previous European round, suggesting attacking quality that has not yet been replicated against Beer Sheva. Beer Sheva, meanwhile, have shown they can grind out low-scoring away results, having done exactly that in the first leg, though their Super Cup final defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv on July 16 and a loss to Legia Warszawa in a July 7 friendly hint at some inconsistency outside this tie.
With no injuries reported for either squad, both managers, Stankovic and Ran Kozuch, will be able to select from full-strength options, making tactical selection rather than fitness concerns the key variable. Crvena Zvezda's home platform now becomes central to whether they can find the goals required to level the aggregate scoreline.
Predicted Lineups
FK Crvena Zvezda
Matheus; Seol Young-Woo, D. Luckassen, S. Erakovic, N. Tiknizyan; R. Krunic, M. Abu Fani, O. Bukari, V. Kostov, M. Ivanic; Bruno Duarte
Hapoel Beer Sheva
O. Marciano; G. Mizrahi, Miguel Vitor, I. Rotman, M. Baltaxa; N. Yehoshua, Lucas Ventura, E. Peretz; J. East, I. Zlatanovic, Z. Ahmed
Team Form Analysis
FK Crvena Zvezda
FK Crvena Zvezda Form Analysis
Crvena Zvezda's recent form shows a team performing well domestically but coming up short in their most recent European test. In the Super Liga, they beat Vojvodina 3-1 on July 26 and followed that with a match away to Radnik Surdulica on August 1, continuing a competitive run in the league. Their European form prior to facing Beer Sheva was excellent, thrashing Larne 4-0 away on July 21 and completing the aggregate victory with a 5-0 home win on July 29 in the 2nd Qualifying Round, underlining strong attacking output against that opposition. However, their most recent match, the August 4 first leg against Hapoel Beer Sheva, ended in a 1-0 away defeat, snapping their momentum and denying them a positive result to carry into the return fixture. The defensive record in that game shows they conceded without reply, a departure from the goal-scoring form shown against Larne, and a sign that Beer Sheva presented a different defensive and tactical challenge than their previous European opponent.
Hapoel Beer Sheva
Hapoel Beer Sheva Form Analysis
Hapoel Beer Sheva's form has been shaped heavily by continental competition. Their most recent result, a 1-0 home win over Crvena Zvezda on August 4, was a significant result achieved against a side that had scored heavily in the previous qualifying round. Before that, they overcame Vikingur Reykjavik 2-0 at home on July 29 in the 2nd Qualifying Round, despite having lost the reverse fixture 2-1 away on July 21, showing resilience and an ability to respond after a setback across two-legged ties. Away from continental competition, their form has been less convincing: a 1-3 defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Super Cup Final on July 16 and a 1-3 loss to Legia Warszawa in a Club Friendly on July 7 suggest some vulnerability outside of the qualifying rounds. Overall, Beer Sheva's defensive organization has been a strength in European matches specifically, conceding only twice across their last three continental fixtures while finding a way to win the games that mattered most in this competition.
Head-to-Head
FK Crvena Zvezda
Hapoel Beer Sheva
Recent Meetings
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-04 | Hapoel Beer Sheva | 1 - 0 | FK Crvena Zvezda |
Memorable Matches
The h2h history between these two clubs on record centers on their August 4, 2026 meeting, where Hapoel Beer Sheva secured a 1-0 win on home soil in the first leg of this 3rd Qualifying Round tie. That result gave the Israeli side a narrow aggregate advantage heading into the return fixture at Stadion Rajko Mitic, setting up a second leg with real stakes attached. With no further meetings on record between the two clubs, this qualifying round tie represents a fresh and still-developing rivalry, with the August 11 return leg offering Crvena Zvezda the platform to respond on their own ground.
Venue Factor
Stadion Rajko Mitic provides Crvena Zvezda with a passionate home atmosphere that the club will look to leverage as they attempt to overturn their first-leg deficit. Playing the second leg on home soil gives the Serbian side the advantage of a supportive crowd driving them forward from the outset, a factor that can be significant in tightly poised European qualifying ties. For Hapoel Beer Sheva, the challenge is managing a hostile away atmosphere while protecting the lead they built at home on August 4
