Red Star Belgrade Awaits Hapoel Be'er Sheva in Champions League Third Qualifying Round

Hapoel Be'er Sheva advanced past Vikingur on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers but now faces a formidable challenge against Red Star Belgrade in the next round. Red Star, a club with a rich European history including a past Champions League title, regularly competes in the tournament and has qualified in two of the last three seasons. They famously eliminated Maccabi Haifa in the 2022/23 playoff round, a major upset at the time.

Last season, Red Star started in the second qualifying round and narrowly lost to Pafos in the playoff stage, subsequently competing in the Europa League where they defeated teams like Sturm Graz and Steaua Bucharest before being knocked out by Lille. This summer, Red Star strengthened their squad by signing players including Abu Fani from Ferencváros and Louizos Louizo from Hapoel Tel Aviv, investing around 10 million euros in new players while selling others for approximately 12.75 million euros.

The Serbian club's squad is valued at 122 million euros, significantly higher than Be'er Sheva's 23.93 million euros, highlighting a substantial financial and depth advantage. With the Serbian league in full swing, Red Star's players are match-fit, adding to their edge. The second leg will be hosted by Red Star, who are considered strong favorites and possibly the toughest champion in the third qualifying round. Should Be'er Sheva be eliminated, they will drop into the Conference League qualifiers.