Is there nothing left to burn in Serbia?
In the end, it was “only” a 1-0 away win in Gibraltar that Red Star Belgrade took home last Tuesday. However, the Serbs have still opened the door to the third round of Champions League qualifying, despite having to play with ten men for almost 50 minutes after a red card shortly before half-time. However, if the tip for an away win for the football minnows against Lincoln Red Imps comes in, it would at least mean extra time.
The Crveno-beli naturally want to put a stop to any complications and steer the game in the desired direction with an early goal. If nothing unusual happens this time, such as the red card against Seol in the first leg, the prediction for Red Star Belgrade against Lincoln Red Imps is that Zvezda will secure an unchallenged and potentially clear home win in the second leg.
Meanwhile, Crveno-beli warmed up on Saturday with a resounding 7-1 victory in the city derby against OFK Belgrade. The Serbs now lead the league with six points from six games and a goal difference of 11-1. They also strengthened their squad with the signing of Marko Arnautovic. It is quite possible that the Austrian international with Serbian roots will now make his debut in the second leg of the Champions League qualifier.
Red Star Belgrade – Statistics & current form
It was a sensation when Marko Arnautovic was presented last week as the latest summer signing for Serbian record champions Red Star Belgrade. The Austrian with Serbian roots tearfully recounted in fluent Serbian how he once promised Sinisa Mihajlovic, who is now suffering from leukemia, that he would one day play for Zvezda (meaning “the star”) while at Bologna. However, the Inter Milan signing had to wait for his first appearance in his new colors. Marko Arnautovic was not yet part of the squad for the 7-1 home win over OFK Belgrade.
It remains to be seen whether he will make his debut for the Crveno-beli (Red-Whites) in the Champions League on Tuesday evening. He could well be brought on as a substitute, though. And what a story it would be if he scored on his debut! It’s a risky bet, but we’re going to go for it anyway: we’re offering odds of 2.25 on Red Star Belgrade against Lincoln Red Imps that at least one goal in the match will be scored by a substitute.
Red Star Belgrade off to a perfect start to the season
What is clear is that the Serbian champions are in impressive form in 2025/26, even without Marko Arnautovic having played a single minute. In the Serbian league, both matches were won 11-1, putting them once again at the top of the table. And in the Champions League, the door to the third qualifying round is also wide open after a 1-0 away win in Gibraltar.
The Crveno-beli would have liked to have sealed the deal against the football minnows in the first leg. However, it should be noted that Young-woo Seol was shown a red card in the 41st minute after Bruno Duarte had given his side the lead in the 30th minute, which meant that Vladan Milojevic’s team were no longer willing to take any risks with a man down. However, if the second leg ends with eleven players on the pitch, there is nothing to stop another goal fest.
Predicted line-up for Red Star Belgrade:
Matheus – Tiknizyan, Veljkovic, Milosavljevic, Stojkovic – Sljivic, Krunic – Ivanic, Katai, Milson – Duarte
Lincoln Red Imps – Statistics & current form
As title holders in Gibraltar, Lincoln Red Imps entered the Champions League qualifiers as usual in the first round and mastered their first task against Vikingur from the Faroe Islands with two wins. The 3-2 away win was followed by a hard-fought return leg in which Tjay De Barr scored the 1-0 winner in extra time, sealing a 4-2 aggregate victory.
The national championship has not yet restarted in Gibraltar, but the country’s most successful club is already back in European action. Although the Red Imps managed to reach the group stage of the Conference League in 2021, the team has never made it past the second round of Champions League qualifying.
Lincoln Red Imps know how to surprise
Despite the clear difference in class, the football minnows are not entirely without an outside chance. Celtic Glasgow, among others, learned this the hard way in 2016. Back then, the Red Imps caused consternation with a 1-0 home win in the first leg, even though they lost the second leg 3-0. Anyone who believes in a similar feat against Zvevda can pick up extremely high odds above the 30.00 mark for Red Star Belgrade against Lincoln Red Imps, although this is of course a high-risk bet with no real value.
The squad, which includes players from the Gibraltar national team as well as several Spaniards, is only competitive to a limited extent. The total market value of less than two million euros is well below the average for professional clubs. But it is precisely in the role of the underdog that the Red Imps could rise above themselves at the Rajko Mitić Stadium, because they have absolutely nothing to lose.
Lincoln Red Imps’ expected line-up:
Santana – Rutjens, Torrilla, Munoz, Toni – Nano, Lopes, Britto – Gómez, Barr, Morales
Red Star Belgrade – Lincoln Red Imps Head-to-head record
Head to head: 1 – 0 – 0
Last Tuesday’s first leg was the first competitive match ever between the two teams. Red Star Belgrade leads the head-to-head record thanks to their 1-0 away win in Gibraltar.
Red Star Belgrade – Lincoln Red Imps Tip
In the run-up to the second leg between Red Star Belgrade and Lincoln Red Imps, the betting odds of the top bookmakers are clearly and unmistakably in favor of the Serbs, who have won all three competitive games of the still young 2025/26 season, scoring twelve goals and conceding only one. The football minnows from Gibraltar have already caused an upset in the Champions League qualifiers once before. However, the Red Imps have never made it through the second round and are likely to lack the playing resources to put up another fight in the Serbian cauldron.
Against this backdrop, the prediction for Red Star Belgrade against Lincoln Red Imps is that the Crveno-beli will win by at least three goals in front of their home crowd and, after their recent 7-1 league win against OFK Belgrade, celebrate another goal fest, in which new signing Arnautovic may make his debut in a Zvezda shirt.
