1 Crvena Zvezda vs 2 Benfica
Crvena Zvezda goes head-to-head with Benfica in UCL opening week.
As Crvena Zvezda kick off their Champions League campaign against a rejuvenated Benfica at the Red Star Stadium, both sides will be eager to overcome their challenging histories in Europe's elite competition.
Crvena Zvezda
Crvena Zvezda will kick off their campaign in the league phase of the revamped UEFA Champions League, hoping to continue their fine start to the season. The Serbian side have lost just one of nine competitive matches across all competitions this season, with that defeat coming in the UCL qualifying round.
The Star lost 2-1 to Bodø/Glimt in the first leg of their UCL playoff before picking up a 2-0 win in the second leg to seal qualification. On the domestic scene, Crvena Zvezda are top of the Serbian SuperLiga with 19 points, having remained unbeaten after seven matches, following a 2-0 win in their most recent league game against FK Napredak Kruševac.
In the UCL's new format, where each team plays four home and four away games against eight different teams, the Star will kick off their European campaign with a home clash against Benfica. "It is a great honour for us to play in this format of the Champions League," Crvena Zvezda manager Vladan Milojević said ahead of Thursday's clash.
Both teams met in the first round of the competition in 1984-85, with the hosts winning 3-2 at home while they lost 2-0 away. Crvena Zvezda have enjoyed playing against Portuguese teams on home soil, having never lost in three such matches.
However, the Serbian side have the second-worst losing rate in the competition among teams to have played in three or more episodes of the competition. A 4-2-3-1 formation with Bruno Duarte in attack is expected to be seen against Benfica.
Benfica
Meanwhile, former Wolves boss Bruno Lage got his reign as Benfica's manager off to a flying start with a 4-1 win over Santa Clara in the Primeira Liga on Saturday, leaving them in fifth place after five matches [LWWDW]. "We haven't won anyone back; we've played a game, and that's three points," he said after the victory.
The Eagles will hope to replicate the performance and result when they travel to Serbia on Thursday. However, Benfica have struggled in their opening UCL match for over half a decade, winning just one of such games in their last seven [1W, 2D, & 4L].
In addition, the Eagles have won just one of their last eight matches in the competition [1W, 2D, & 5L], though the win came in their most recent UCL game against Salzburg last December. The visitors are expected to mirror the home side's 4-2-3-1 with Vangelis Pavlidis in attack.
Team form
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Team Comparison
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