Match Information
Match Overview
Hapoel Beer Sheva host FK Crvena Zvezda at Toto Turner Stadium on August 4, 2026 in the 3rd Qualifying Round of the UEFA Champions League, a tie that offers both clubs a route toward the competition's group stage proper. This is an early-stage European qualifier rather than a second leg of an existing tie between these two sides, so the framing here centers on each club's momentum heading into the fixture rather than any aggregate scoreline.
Crvena Zvezda arrive having navigated their 2nd Qualifying Round assignment against Larne convincingly, winning 4-0 away on July 21 and following up with a 5-0 home victory on July 29. That composite showing, allied to routine domestic wins over Vojvodina (3-1) and Macva (5-0) in the Super Liga, points to a side finding rhythm in front of goal across multiple competitions. Hapoel Beer Sheva's path to this round was considerably tighter: they lost the first of their two matches against Vikingur Reykjavik 2-1 away on July 21 before recovering with a 2-0 home win on July 29 to advance. That narrower passage suggests a team that has had to work harder for the same result, and it may inform how much fatigue or momentum they carry into this new round.
Domestic cup context also plays a role in Hapoel's recent build-up. Their 1-3 defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Super Cup final on July 16 was their most recent competitive test outside Europe, and combined with mixed results in July friendlies against Legia Warszawa and Omonia Nicosia, it paints a picture of a squad still finding consistency. Crvena Zvezda's only blemish in the sample is a 3-1 friendly loss to Zenit on July 12, otherwise their form across competitive fixtures has been strong.
With no injuries reported for either squad, both managers—Ran Kozuch for Hapoel Beer Sheva, with Crvena Zvezda's dugout unconfirmed in the data—should be able to select from full-strength squads, making tactical selection and current form the most relevant differentiators heading into kickoff.
Predicted Lineups
Hapoel Beer Sheva
Ofir Marciano; Guy Mizrahi, Djibril Diop, Miguel Vítor, Matan Baltaxa; Niv Yehoshua, Lucas Ventura, Kings Kangwa; Javon East, Igor Zlatanović, Zahi Ahmed
FK Crvena Zvezda
I. Guteša; S. Eraković, M. Veljković, Rodrigão, N. Tiknizyan; T. Elšnik, M. Ivanić, M. Abu Fani; A. Katai, M. Arnautović, U. Djordjevic
Team Form Analysis
Hapoel Beer Sheva
Hapoel Beer Sheva Form Analysis
Hapoel Beer Sheva's recent run tells the story of a team that has needed resilience rather than dominance to stay on track. Their UEFA Champions League 2nd Qualifying Round tie against Vikingur Reykjavik encapsulated this: a 2-1 away defeat on July 21 was followed by a 2-0 home win on July 29, showing an ability to respond under pressure at Toto Turner Stadium. Outside Europe, results have been less encouraging — a 1-3 loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the July 16 Super Cup final, a 3-1 defeat away to Legia Warszawa on July 7, and a 2-2 draw at Omonia Nicosia on July 5. Attacking output has been modest across these fixtures, with goals coming primarily in the two-leg European tie, while defensively the side has conceded in four of their last five matches. The quality of opposition has varied from domestic rivals to European counterparts, but the overall pattern points to a team still building match sharpness heading into this qualifying round.
FK Crvena Zvezda
FK Crvena Zvezda Form Analysis
FK Crvena Zvezda's form heading into this fixture is markedly strong. Their 2nd Qualifying Round tie against Larne was settled with emphatic authority — a 4-0 away win on July 21 followed by a 5-0 home victory on July 29, a combined nine goals scored without conceding. Domestically, wins over Vojvodina (3-1, July 26) and Macva (5-0, July 17) in the Super Liga reinforce a side scoring freely and defending solidly across competitions. The only setback in their recent sample is a 3-1 friendly defeat to Zenit on July 12, which came outside competitive play and can be read as preparation rather than a form indicator. Taken together, four wins from their last five matches, three of them by multi-goal margins, suggest a team peaking offensively while facing a mix of European and domestic-tier opposition on their way into this qualifying round.
Head-to-Head
Memorable Matches
No head-to-head history between Hapoel Beer Sheva and FK Crvena Zvezda is available, meaning this meeting represents new territory for both clubs at the competitive level. Without a shared history to draw upon, this 3rd Qualifying Round tie stands as the first documented competitive encounter between the two sides, adding a sense of novelty to the fixture. Both clubs bring contrasting recent European qualifying experiences — Hapoel's narrow passage past Vikingur Reykjavik and Crvena Zvezda's dominant victory over Larne — into what is effectively an unwritten chapter in their respective European qualifying campaigns.
Venue Factor
Toto Turner Stadium serves as Hapoel Beer Sheva's home venue for this qualifying round tie, and their recent form there has been encouraging — the 2-0 win over Vikingur Reykjavik on July 29 demonstrated an ability to perform under the pressure of a European tie on home soil. For Crvena Z
