Opponent analysis: RB Leipzig vs Crvena zvezda

Back in Champions League action!

RB Leipzig will face off against a Serbian opponent for the first time ever when they host FK Crvena zvezda on matchday 3 of the Champions League season (Wednesday, 25th October, 21:00 CEST).

In our opponent analysis, we’ve gathered everything you need to know about Red Star’s form, squad and key players.

CURRENT FORM

Crvena zvezda (‘Red Star’ in Serbian) went unbeaten in the league last year, but their streak came to an end at the start of this season. The 13-time Serbian champions fell to defeats against FK Vozdovac (3-2)and FK Čukarički (2-1) away from home. They’ve still managed to pick up 24 points from their first ten games and sit in second place behind FK Partizan (28 points). Zvezda have the best goal difference in the league, having scored 28 and conceded nine.
Our next opponents have come out on top in their last two games. They progressed to the round of 16 in the Serbian cup with a 6-0 win over second-tier side Trayal Krusevac, before putting FK Javor to the sword in the league last Saturday (3-2).

The situation ahead of the game

RBL currently sit second in Group G after picking up three points from their first two games, while our next opponents are in last place with one point. Barak Bakhar’s side lost their first game 3-1 against reigning European champions Manchester City, before drawing 2-2 with Young Boys at home.
The current Superliga champions, who also won the domestic double for the third time in a row last season, are a force to be reckoned with at home, losing only one of their last 49 games at the legendary Rajko Mitic stadium. The sole defeat came against AS Monaco in the Europa League on 8th September 2022.

Squad

Transfer market

New arrivals

Zvezda have a new number one in the form of Omri Glazer. The Israel international arrived in the summer from Hapoel Be’er Sheva.Zoran Popovic, who was on loan at FK Cukaricki last campaign, serves as his back-up.
Red Star have signed 20-year-old centre-back Nasser Djiga on loan from FC Basel. The Burkina Faso international is regarded as a huge talent and has started Zvezda’s last couple of games.
Defender Milos Degenek made the switch to Crvena zvezda from MLS side Columbus Crew. The Australian has 42 caps at international level to his name and represented the Socceroos during the 2018 World Cup. The 29-year-old played for VfB Stuttgart’s second team and TSV 1860 München from 2013 to 2017.
17-year-old Kosta Nedeljkovic has recently made the step up to Zvezda’s senior team. The Serb normally plays in defence and made his Champions League debut against Manchester City.

In-beom-Hwang is Zvezda’s go-to box-to-box midfielder. The 45-time South Korean international arrived from Olympiakos in September.
Ghana international Edmund Addo is yet to make a competitive appearance for Red Star.
18-year-old Jovan Sljivic is another home-grown talent who’s been integrated into the first team this season. Just like Nedeljković, he made his Champions League debut against the Cityzens.
Marko Stamenic moved to Crvena zvezda from FC Copenhagen and brings more Champions League experience to the table. The defensive midfielder has made 14 appearances for New Zealand.

Cherif Ndiaye (Adana Demirspor) had been plying his trade in Turkey before making the switch to Red Star in the summer. The Senegalese striker stands at 6’2″ tall and plays with a lot of physicality. He scored the opening goal in Zvezda’s last Champions League outing against Young Boys.
19-year-old Uros Kabic is another attacking option for the reigning Serbian champions.
Filippo Falco has returned to the side after a spell on loan at Cagliari. Nicknamed the “Messi from Salento”, Falco is still waiting to make his first appearance this season after being sidelined with an injury.
Serbian U21 international Vladimir Lucic has also returned to Zvezda after spending a season on loan at FK Cukaricki.
Jean-Philippe Krasso has well and truly hit the ground running after arriving from French side AS Saint-Étienne in the transfer window. He scored 17 goals and assisted 12 more in Ligue 2 last season and has bagged six times in his first 10 Superliga appearances He’s currently second in the Serbian scoring charts. The Ivory Coast international, who was born in Stuttgart, is certainly someone to keep an eye on!
Last but not least is versatile attacker Peter Olayinka. The 27-year-old had his most prolific season ever in front of goal last year with Czech side Slavia Prague. He’s another Zvezda player who’s had a lot of experience in Europe, having played in all three continental competitions.

Departures

Milan Borjan, who was Zvezda’s number one keeper for a long time, has been loaned out to Slovan Bratislava.
Some of Red Star’s defenders also left the club during the transfer window, namely Marko Gobeljić (AE Kifisia), Stefan Lekovic (Villareal B) and Irakli Azarovi (Shakhtar Donetsk). Strahinja Erakovic made the switch to Zenit St. Petersburg.

Midfielders Egor Prutsev (loaned to NK Celje), Slavoljub Srnic (AEL Limassol) and Veljko Nikolic (Aris Limassol) are all no longer at the club.

Attackers Aleksander Pesic (Ferencvaros) and Marko Rakonjac (Lokomotiv Moscow) departed in summer.

Key players

Aleksandar Dragovic is indisputably Zvezda’s key man at the back. He made 106 appearances for Bayer 04 Leverkusen between 2016 and 2021 and was loaned out to Leicester City for the 2017/18 season. Their captain is the second-ever Austrian to rack up 100 appearances for his country after Andreas Herzog. He’s regarded as a very solid defender and was involved in the 2016 and 2021 European Championships. He’s won the double in both of his seasons with Crvena Zvezda.
Mirko Ivanic keeps things ticking in Zvezda’s midfield. Pretty much all of Red Star’s attacks go through the 30-year-old Montenegro international, who’s good with both feet and has excellent technique. Red Star’s midfield metronome also likes to shoot and most of the time he hits the back of the net.
Winger Osman Bukari is one of the best players in Serbia. The 24-year-old has been capped 12 times by Ghana and scored against Portugal at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Bukari has had a hand in nine of Zvezda’s goals in all competitions (five goals, four assists). His strengths are undeniably his dynamism, runs in behind and technical ability.
Aleksandar Katai was the top scorer in Serbia last year with 17 league goals. The former Serbian international has struggled with injuries at the start of this campaign and hasn’t managed to open his goalscoring account yet. The 32-year-old is still one of Zvezda’s best players and can play almost anywhere in the forward line.

Injuries

Osman Bukari has been out with an unspecified injury since 12th October.
The same is true for Filippo Falco who has been sidelined since the end of April.

Find all the details about RBL’s squad here.

Head coach

Barak Bakhar has been in charge of Red Star since July. The 44-year-old had only managed clubs from his native Israel before joining Zvezda. He was most recently head coach of Maccabi Haifa.
He knocked Red Star out of the Champions League play-offs in 2022/23 when he was still at his former club (5-4 on aggregate). Maccabi Haifa reached the group stages of Europe’s premier club competition as a result, whereas Crvena zvezda had to settle for the Europa League.

Bakhar has a reputation for being very tactically flexible. His sides are comfortable playing with both three and four at the back. Under him, Crvena zvezda have mostly played either in a 4-5-1 or a 4-3-3 formation. That being said, they’ve also used a 3-5-2 system this season.

Recent match-ups

Crvena zvezda’s past few games

21st October 2023| Super Liga, matchday 12: Crvena zvezda 3–2 FK Javor
18th October 2023 | Serbian Cup, round of 32: Trayal Krusevac 0–6 Crvena zvezda
8th October 2023 | Super Liga, matchday 11: Radnicki 1923 0–3 Crvena zvezda
4th October 2023 | UEFA Champions League, matchday 2: Crvena zvezda 2–2 Young Boys
30th September 2023 | Super Liga, matchday 10: Crvena zvezda 1–0 Radnicki Nis

Champions League record

Here’s how Red Star have done in their last couple of Champions League campaigns:

2019/20: Group stage (fourth place behind Olympiacos, Tottenham Hotspur and FC Bayern), three points, three goals scored, 20 conceded
2018/19: Group stage (fourth place behind SSC Napoli, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain), four points, four goals scored, 17 conceded