Crvena Zvezda vs Barcelona Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 UEFA Champions League | League Phase

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Reliant on home advantage for any sort of competitiveness or points, Crvena Zvezda now welcome arguably the in-form team in European football to the Serbian capital with Hansi Flick’s rampant Barcelona.

KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Wednesday 6th October, 2024 - UK – 8:00pm / US ET – 3:00pm / US PT – 12:00pm

HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TNT Sports / US – CBS Sports

HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – Discovery+ / US – Paramount+

CRVENA ZVEZDA PREVIEW: THE INFLUENCE OF THE MARACANA

Crvena Zvezda, under the management of former APOEL Nicosia boss Vladan Milojevic in his second stint in charge of the club, have won the last seven Serbian titles and they are once again sitting at the top-of-the-table with 12 victories and a draw in their 13 matches as they sit ten points clear with a game-in-hand. 

The hosts come into this one on the back of a 3-0 hammering of Vojvodina in their most recent outing at the weekend. They have started their 2024/25 UEFA Champions League campaign with three defeats from three. There were two hammerings away from home against Internazionale and Monaco and a slender loss at home to Benfica. 

BARCELONA PREVIEW: BRILLIANT BLAUGRANA

Hansi Flick’s Barcelona have been magnificent since the former Germany and Bayern Munich boss was appointed over the summer as a replacement for Xavi Hernandez. The Blaugrana have a nine-point lead at the top-of-the-table in La Liga and they have scored 50 goals in 15 matches across all competitions.

In the UEFA Champions League they did start the season with a surprise 2-1 defeat to Monaco at Stade Louis II but they have recovered from that by winning 5-0 against Young Boys at Estadi Olympic Lluis Companys before then hammering Bayern Munich by four goals to one a couple of weeks ago. 

CRVENA ZVEZDA TEAM NEWS: LOTS OF ISSUES

Goalkeeper Omri Glazer and attacker Bruno Duarte are both key doubts for Crvena Zvezda and they are also missing several first-teamers due to injuries, too. 

Nigeria international Peter Olayinka is one of those definitely sidelined alongside Nemanja Radonjic, Mirko Ivanic and Ognjen Mimovic for this one.

PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Ilic; Rodic, Djiga, Spajic, Seol; Elsnik, Krunic; Milson, Maksimovic, Silas; Ndiaye

UNAVAILABLE: Ivanic (Injured), Mimovic (Injured), Olayinka (Injured), Radonjic (Injured)

QUESTIONABLE: Duarte (Injured), Glazer (Injured)

BARCELONA TEAM NEWS: GOALKEEPER ISSUE

Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a horrific injury in mid-September and he is expected to be out for the season with Inaki Pena’s performances not overly convincing as of yet.

It is still expected that Pena remains in the Barca side for this one, despite the signing of free agent Wojciech Szczesny, who had retired from football over the summer. 

PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Lopez, De Jong; Yamal, Olmo, Fati; Lewandowski

UNAVAILABLE: Ter Stegen (Injured), Araujo (Injured), Christensen (Injured), Garcia (Injured), Bernal (Injured), Torres (Injured)

QUESTIONABLE: 

KEY STATS

• Crvena Zvezda have won two and drawn one of their last three UEFA competition matches at home against Spanish teams.
• Crvena Zvezda are without a win in their last 13 matches in the UEFA Champions League competition proper (D1 L12). Since a 3-1 home victory against Olympiacos in October 2019.
• Crvena Zvezda have lost their last seven matches in the UEFA Champions League competition proper
• None of Crvena Zvezda’s last 20 matches in the UEFA Champions League competition proper finished without a goal being scored.
• Barcelona have won three and drawn one of their previous four UEFA competition matches against Crvena Zvezda.
• Barcelona have won eight of their last ten away matches in all competitions (L2).
• Barcelona have won seven of their last ten UEFA Champions League group/league phase matches (L3).
• If Barcelona score four or more goals it will be only the second time they have done so in three successive European Cup/UEFA Champions League matches. They previously did so in the 1959/60 season.
• Raphinha has scored seven goals in his last five appearances in the UEFA Champions League proper.
• Robert Lewandowski scored four goals for Bayern in a 6-0 victory away from home against Crvena Zvezda in the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League group stage. He also scored one goal in a 1-0 home win in the reverse fixture earlier in the same campaign.

CRVENA ZVEZDA VS BARCELONA PREDICTION

Crvena Zvezda come into this one knowing that their best chance of causing what would be a major upset will be to utilise the hostility created by their home crowd in Belgrade. Barcelona haven’t necessarily been tested in a hostile crowd yet under Flick and the closest they have come to something like that was when they lost 4-2 to Osasuna at El Sadar in October. Barca remain overwhelming favourites but it might not be as free flowing as their season so far. 

CRVENA ZVEZDA VS BARCELONA TIP: BARCELONA TO WIN & UNDER 3.5 GOALS