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Red Star Belgrade and Larne are back in action in the Champions League qualifiers when they go head-to-head at the Rajko Mitic Stadium in the second leg of their second-round tie at the Rajko Mitic Stadium.
Having suffered a heavy home defeat in last week’s reverse leg, the Northern Irish outfit head into the game with their qualification hopes hanging by a thread and they will be aiming to go down fighting in Serbia.
Read our Red Star Belgrade vs Larne preview, prediction and betting tips below, while you can also find more of our expert predictions on today's betting tips.
Red Star Belgrade vs Larne key stats
- Red Star Belgrade are unbeaten in seven of their last eight Champions League games (including qualifiers), picking up five wins and two draws since January 2025.
- Larne have lost just one of their last seven competitive away matches while claiming five wins and one draw since February 28.
- Red Star Belgrade have opened the scoring in six of their last seven matches, with the Serbian powerhouse leading at half time in four of their most recent five games.
- Each of Red Star Belgrade’s most recent eight games have seen under 4.5 cards, while there have also been under 4.5 cards in nine of Larne’s last 10 outings.
Red Star Belgrade vs Larne: Serbian giants in cruise control after stellar first-leg show
Red Star Belgrade vs Larne — Tale of the Tape
| Red Star Belgrade | vs | Larne |
|---|---|---|
| 1st (Superliga) | Position | 1st (Premiership) |
| 6 | Points | 73 |
| 8 | Goals For | 60 |
| 1 | Goals Against | 22 |
| 1 | Clean Sheets | 21 |
| 1st | Home / Away Rank | 2nd |
It was a dream start to the Champions League qualifiers for Red Star Belgrade as they cruised to a 4-0 victory over Larne at Inver Park in the first leg of their second-round clash last Tuesday.
Bruno Duarte turned in a standout individual display at Inver Park, as he netted on either side of Vasilije Kostov’s 55th-minute goal before Muhammed-Cham Saracevic added a fourth in the 85th minute to put the icing on the cake.
On either side of last week’s first-leg triumph, Dejan Stankovic's men secured victories over Macva Sabac and Vojvodina in the opening two games of the Serbian Superliga, scoring eight goals and conceding once to kick off their title defence on a strong note.
The Red-Whites enjoyed a stellar 2025-26 campaign, clinching the league-and-cup double, including a record-extending 12th Superliga title to book passage to the Champions League second qualifying round.
Red Star Belgrade are aiming for a return to the UCL, having missed out on Europe’s elite club competition last season, when they edged out Lincoln Red Imps and Lech Poznan en route to the qualifying playoff round before losing 3-2 on aggregate to Pafos FC.
Following their first-leg collapse in front of their home supporters, Larne are facing an uphill battle at the Rajko Mitic Stadium as they look to keep their dreams of a first-ever Champions League group-stage appearance alive.
Off the back of last season’s success, Gary Haveron’s men kicked off the new campaign on a high, clinching the Northern Irish Charity Shield courtesy of a penalty-shootout victory over Coleraine before securing a 3-1 aggregate win over San Marino outfit SP Tre Fiori in the UCL first qualifying round to start the campaign with much promise.
Larne clinched just their third-ever Northern Irish Premiership title and a first since 2024 last season when they picked up 22 wins and seven draws from their 33 league matches to finish four points clear of runners-up Glentoran FC.
While Larne will look to attempt a historic comeback on Wednesday, they will draw inspiration from their current form on the road, with the Northern Irish outfit unbeaten in six of their last seven competitive away games, claiming five wins and one draw since April 11.
Red Star Belgrade vs Larne form guide & betting tips
| Red Star Belgrade | vs | Larne |
|---|---|---|
DLWWW |
Form | WWWWL
|
| 15 | Goals For | 5 |
| 4 | Goals Against | 6 |
W |
Champions League qualification | WWL |
Whispers’ prediction: Red Star Belgrade 3-0 Larne
Red Star Belgrade were a class apart in the first leg as they ran riot to a commanding 4-0 victory, and given the gulf in quality and experience between the two teams, we see them coming out on top at the Rajko Mitic Stadium once again.
The bookmakers also have the Serbian powerhouse as clear favourites here, as indicated by their 3/50 (1.062) odds of victory, and our first pick will be 1/1, currently priced at 33/100 (1.33).
With four of Red Star’s last five games having fewer than 10.5 corners, under 4.5 cards at 1/1 (2.00) is another tempting option, while we predict BTTS – No at 11/25 (1.44).
Red Star to win + BTTS – No currently sits at (1.50) while we pick a correct score of 3-0 at 5/1 (6.00) from the correct score market.
> HT/FT – Red Star/Red Star at 33/100 (1.33) | Likelihood: Possible
> Under 10 corners – Yes at 1/1 (2.00) | Likelihood: Possible
> Correct score: 3-0 at 5/1 (6.00) | Likelihood: Outsider