Red Star Belgrade to win close match against Spartaks
Red Star Belgrade and Spartaks played out a surprising nil-nil draw in their Champions League first qualifying round first leg match. Latvian side Spartaks played well and held off the Serbian champions.
Now, an away goal from Spartaks could take the small Latvian team through to the second qualifying round and send a former Champions League winner crashing out.
Spartaks' goalkeeper Jevgenijs Nerugals was unstoppable in the first leg. He kept Red Star out of the Latvians' goal and his heroics from game one could be the difference in the tie. Red Star missed numerous scoring opportunities in the first leg. Those missed opportunities could come back to haunt the club as Spartaks merely need an away goal to go through.
The Latvians are in the middle of their domestic campaign. Although they haven't played in the league since June 30 – a 1-1 draw against Liepaja – Spartaks did warm-up for Red Star with an 8-1 win over Ghetto in domestic cup competition. A year ago, Spartaks were knocked out of the Champions league at this same stage against Astana. The club only crashed out by a 2-1 scoreline.
Red Star must improve their scoring form if they want to get past Spartaks. What was supposed to be an easy qualifying tie has now turned into a bit of a test for the Serbians. Although the club is far more powerful on the pitch, it wasn't able to show it in the first game. Red Star have a few new players in the side and each could feature in Red Star's attempt to win the second leg. Defender Rashid Sumaila joined the club from Kuwait club Al Qadsia. He could get his first minutes in the return leg on Tuesday. Milos Degenek an Richmond Boakye have also joined the club.
Manager Vladan Milojevic is expected to once again deploy a 4-3-3 formation. Meanwhile, Spartaks boss Aleksandr Grishin will play a 3-5-2. Grishin will attempt to stifle Red Star's midfield and prevent them from passing the ball around. The three-man backline matches up well with Red Star's attacking trident while the wing-backs can track back and offer cover.
Despite failing to get past Spartaks' in-form goalkeeper Nerugals in the first leg, Red Star's quality should rise to the top in the second leg. Red Star are massive favourites according to top sportsbooks around the world. A loss to Spartaks at this phase would be a major disappointment for the former Champions league winners. Red Star will get through by a close margin and live to fight on in the Champions league qualifying rounds.
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