2026-2027 Champions League: Red Star vs. Larne, Probable Lineups

Despite a preseason without any real highlights, Red Star Belgrade’s season got off to the best possible start, with two wins in the Serbian Super Liga (5-0 against Macvan, 3-1 over Vojvodina) sandwiched between a 4-0 away win over Larne, a Northern Irish team whose qualification for the next Champions League qualifying round hangs by a thread.

In the first leg, played in Northern Ireland, Red Star had a very easy time of it, spurred on by goals from Bruno Duarte on a penalty kick in the 26th minute, Kostov in the 55th, Bruno Duarte again in the 67th, and Cham in the 85th. Everything suggests that the second leg, scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m., will be little more than a practice session at the “Rajko Mitic” Stadium (Belgrade’s legendary Marakana) for the team led by former Inter Milan player Dejan Stankovic.

Larne’s run—which saw them eliminate San Marino’s Tre Fiori in the first qualifying round with two narrow victories (1-0 at the San Marino Stadium, 2-1 in Ulster), is about to end in the Champions League but will continue in the Europa League, where the team coached by Gary Haveron will compete in the third qualifying round. Unless, of course, there’s a comeback in Belgrade that would rightfully go down in soccer history.

Probable Lineups

RED STAR (4-3-3): Matheus; Seol, Erakovic, Veljkovic, Tiknizyan; Loizou, Elsnik, Abu Fani; Kostov, Bruno Duarte, Ivanic. Coach: Stankovic.

LARNE (4-3-3): Ferguson; Cosgrove, Bent, Ridley, Donnelly; Doherty, Gallagher, Graham; McEneff, Lusty, Sloan. Coach: Haveron.