Hapoel Be'er Sheva Hosts Red Star Belgrade in Champions League Qualifier

Hapoel Be'er Sheva is set to face Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday in Sombathely, Hungary, in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. Despite Red Star being favorites, Be'er Sheva aims to replicate the success of Maccabi Haifa, which eliminated the Serbian club four years ago. The Israeli team, coached by Ran Kojukh, is adjusting to the absence of Kings Kangwa, recently sold to Panathinaikos, with Eliel Peretz replacing him in the starting lineup.

New signing Pedro Amador is on the bench, while Matan Baltaxa starts as left back and Itay Rotman partners Miguel Vitor in central defense after impressing as a substitute in the previous match against Vikingur. The attack features Javon East and Zahy Ahmed on the wings, with Igor Zlatanovic leading the line. Red Star's coach, Dusan Stankovic, who was dismissed after a loss to Maccabi Haifa, has returned and brought in Mohammed Abu Fani, who previously helped eliminate him.

Notably, Louizos Louizo, a high-profile signing from Hapoel Tel Aviv, is on the bench, replaced by Osman Bukari in the starting eleven. Veteran striker Marko Arnautovic is also a substitute, while former Maccabi Tel Aviv player Derik Lukassen makes his debut in central defense for Red Star. If Be'er Sheva manages an upset, they will face the winner between Danish club Aarhus and Azerbaijani side Sabah in the playoff round. If eliminated, they will enter the Europa League playoff against Czech club Viktoria Plzen.

Starting lineups include Hapoel Be'er Sheva's goalkeeper Ofir Marciano and players Guy Mizrahi, Miguel Vitor, Itay Rotman, Matan Baltaxa, Niv Yehoshua, Lokus Ventura, Eliel Peretz, Javon East, Zahy Ahmed, and Igor Zlatanovic. Red Star's lineup features Mateus, Saul Young-Woo, Derik Lukassen, Strahinja Arakovic, Nair Tiknizian, Rade Krunic, Mohammed Abu Fani, Vasilije Kostov, Osman Bukari, Mirko Ivanic, and Bruno Duarte.