Hapoel Beer Sheva – Crvena Zvezda Preview – Can the exiled hosts spring a shock in Hungary?
Hapoel Beer Sheva’s “home” leg in the Champions League third qualifying round will not be played anywhere near Beer Sheva. Israeli clubs cannot stage UEFA ties on home soil, so this first leg against Crvena Zvezda is being hosted at a neutral ground in Szombathely, western Hungary. These two sides have never met competitively before, and that unfamiliarity only adds to the intrigue around our Hapoel Beer Sheva vs Crvena Zvezda betting tips for kick-off on 4 August at 17:30 GMT.
- 04/08/2026
Zvezda arrive as the form side by some distance. They swept Larne aside without reply over two legs in the previous round and go into this tie having won four of their last five matches under Dejan Stankovic, back in charge in Belgrade for a second spell. That kind of momentum, allied to a squad built for this exact stage of the competition, makes the Serbian champions firm favourites here.
Hapoel Beer Sheva – Crvena Zvezda Betting Tips
Betting Tip: Crvena Zvezda to win
Everything points the same way here. Zvezda are sharper, deeper and in far better rhythm than a Beer Sheva side missing two regulars and displaced from their own stadium. A front-foot Serbian side that has just put nine unanswered goals past its previous opponent should have enough craft to break down a patched-up back line, even away from Belgrade. Get your read on the market before kick-off with the latest match odds.
Betting Tip: Under 2.5 goals
First legs of two-legged qualifiers rarely turn into shootouts, and this one has extra reasons to stay tight. Zvezda have a second leg at home to look forward to, so there is little incentive to gamble men forward and leave gaps at the back. Beer Sheva, missing key pieces and playing what amounts to a neutral fixture, are more likely to sit in and try to protect something to take into Belgrade than trade chances in the open. A cagey, low-event first leg feels like the shape of this one.
An unfamiliar arena, a familiar injury list
Ran Kozuch’s Hapoel Beer Sheva side reached this round the hard way, needing a spirited second-leg display to see off Vikingur Reykjavik and advance on aggregate. There is fight in this group, but they arrive short-handed: both Pedro Amador and Joao Victor are missing through injury, which thins out a squad already being asked to play a “home” fixture hundreds of miles from its own supporters. The return leg in Belgrade follows a week later, which means Zvezda effectively get the second bite in front of their own crowd regardless of what happens in Hungary. Win this tie and the reward is a step closer to the Champions League play-off round; lose it and the consolation is a route into the Europa League instead.
- 04/08/2026
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