Red Star Happy to Face Hapoel Be'er Sheva: "It's Preferable"
Coach Dejan Stankovic commented on the upcoming match after the victory over Larne: "I expect our fans to fill the stadium in Hungary. We must win."
Red Star Belgrade is already looking ahead to Hapoel Be'er Sheva. The Serbian champion completed its mission in the second round of the Champions League qualifiers with an impressive 5:0 victory over Larne (9:0 on aggregate) and is now preparing for the meeting with the Israeli champion.
Red Star coach Dejan Stankovic addressed the next opponent and sent a clear message ahead of the encounter:
"If we want to reach the Champions League, we must beat everyone. We will analyze them, try to take away their strengths, and put our quality at the center."
The Serbian coach said that his professional staff followed both potential opponents, Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Iceland's Vikingur, and had already begun preparations for the Israeli champion. "We watched both. One was stronger and more dynamic, the other was talented and faster. Both were difficult opponents."
Stankovic also addressed the fact that Hapoel Be'er Sheva's home game will be held in Hungary due to the security situation, noting that for Red Star, it is a more convenient option logistically: "40 minutes of flight and another hour on the bus. It is better than a six-hour flight to Reykjavik. I expect to play twice at home, and for our fans to fill the stadium in Hungary. It will give us an advantage," added the coach, who has already marked his team's goal — to continue on the path toward the Champions League group stage.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva will meet a team with quite a few connections to Israeli football. Mohammad Abu Fani, an Israel national team player, is currently in the Red Star squad after being purchased from Ferencvaros, and next week he will meet several teammates from the national team. Levi Garcia (Luizao), an ex-Hapoel Tel Aviv player, is also starting to get significant minutes and scored his debut goal in the second leg against Larne after being purchased for about 3.5 million euros.
In the Serbian champion's squad is also Derrick Luckassen, a former Maccabi Tel Aviv defender, who recently joined to strengthen the defense. In addition, the team includes well-known names such as Marko Arnautovic, Mirko Ivanic, Aleksandar Katai, and Osman Bukari, who returned for another stint at the club.
For Red Star, this is also an attempt to correct an unpleasant memory against an Israeli team. Four years ago, the Serbian champion was eliminated by Maccabi Haifa on the way to the Champions League group stage, and now it will try to pass Hapoel Be'er Sheva on the way to continuing its European journey.
