Hapoel Be’er Sheva vs Red Star Belgrade: Champions League Qualifier Preview
Hapoel Be’er Sheva vs Red Star Belgrade: Champions League Qualifier PreviewKickoff: Tuesday, August 4 — 5:30pm UTC / 7:30pm local Venue: Haladás Sportkomplexum, Szombathely, Hungary Competition: UEFA Champions League 2026-27, Third Qualifying Round, First Leg
Reigning Israeli champions Hapoel Be’er Sheva host Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade in the first leg of a third qualifying round tie that carries a Champions League play-off spot as its prize — and, for the loser, a considerably softer landing in the Europa League play-offs instead. It’s the first-ever competitive meeting between the two clubs.
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Hapoel Be’er Sheva arrive into this tie carrying momentum that only tells half the story. Ran Kozuch’s side overturned a 2-1 first-leg deficit against Icelandic champions VÃkingur ReykjavÃk, winning the return leg 2-0 at a neutral Hungarian venue to progress 3-2 on aggregate — their first win in five matches, following a three-match losing streak that has raised genuine questions about form heading into a considerably tougher assignment. The Camels are without four players through injury, and haven’t advanced beyond the third qualifying round of any UEFA competition since 2022-23, when they last reached a group stage.
Red Star Belgrade, by contrast, arrive in outstanding form. Dejan Stanković’s side demolished Northern Irish champions Larne 4-0 away from home in the previous round, sealing a 9-0 aggregate win, and have now won four consecutive competitive matches, scoring 17 goals across four fixtures in July alone. Red Star have reached the group stage or league phase of a UEFA competition in each of the last nine seasons and will be targeting a tenth straight campaign at Europe’s top table.
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Red Star’s attacking depth has been the story of their qualifying campaign so far, with the visitors averaging well over four goals per match across their last two rounds — firepower that will immediately test a Hapoel defence already missing four first-team options through injury. For the hosts, Ran Kozuch’s side will need to lean on the resilience that saw them fight back from behind against VÃkingur, with an away goal or a narrow deficit heading into the second leg in Belgrade representing a realistic, achievable target rather than an outright home win.
Prediction
The gap in current form is difficult to ignore: Red Star arrive with four straight wins and 17 goals in a month, while Hapoel are still finding their feet after a three-match losing run. Expect Red Star’s superior firepower to tell in Szombathely, with both sides likely to find the net given how porous Hapoel have looked at the back recently — but a home performance built on the same resilience that saw off VÃkingur could keep this tie alive heading into the second leg in Belgrade.
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