Leipzig vs Crvena zvezda match facts

Consolidation will be the target for Leipzig on UEFA Champions League Matchday 3 as Crvena zvezda come to Germany.

The home side are second in Group G, three points behind holders Manchester City – 3-1 winners in Germany on Matchday 2 – but two above both their next opponents and Young Boys, whom Leipzig beat 3-1 in Switzerland in their first encounter.

Crvena zvezda opened with a 3-1 defeat in Manchester – a game in which they scored first – before a 2-2 draw against Young Boys in Belgrade.

This is the sides' first meeting, and Leipzig's first game against a club from Serbia.

Form guide

Leipzig

This is Leipzig's sixth Champions League group campaign, all since 2017/18, and a fifth in a row.

Semi-finalists in 2019/20, the German club have reached the knockout rounds in three of their last four campaigns, including 2022/23.

Last season Marco Rose's side finished second in Group F behind holders Real Madrid and held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw in the home first leg of their round of 16 tie, but bowed out after suffering their heaviest European defeat in the return, going down 7-0 away to the eventual champions.

This season's loss to City on Matchday 2 was only the German team's third in their last 17 European games at their own stadium (W9 D5).

Leipzig's home record in the Champions League group stage is W8 D3 L5.

This is only Leipzig's seventh season of European football. They became the first club to make their continental debut in the Champions League group stage in September 2017.

In addition to reaching the last four of the Champions League in 2020, losing 3-0 in a one-off tie against Paris Saint-Germain, Leipzig were also Europa League semi-finalists in 2021/22.

Rose's charges were third in the Bundesliga in 2022/23, Leipzig's fifth successive top-four finish and a sixth in seven years since being promoted to the German top flight for the first time in 2016.

Crvena zvezda

Record vs German clubs W14 D5 L16 F50 A62
Away record vs German clubs W4 D0 L12

This is Crvena zvezda's first game against a German club since a 0-0 draw at home to Hoffenheim on Matchday 5 of the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League. That ended a three-match losing streak against Bundesliga opponents – a run that included away (0-3) and home (0-6) defeats by Bayern München in the 2019/20 Champions League group stage – but also made it four games without a goal, since a 1-0 home win against Köln in the group stage of the 2017/18 Europa League.

A 2-0 loss at Hoffenheim in that 2020/21 campaign made it four defeats in Crvena zvezda's last five visits to Germany, the exception another 1-0 win against Köln in 2017/18. That is their only goal in their last five games away to Bundesliga sides.

Crvena zvezda lost the 1979 UEFA Cup final to German opponents, going down 2-1 on aggregate to Borussia Mönchengladbach (1-1 h, 0-1 a), but famously beat Bayern in the 1991 European Cup semi-final (2-1 a, 2-2 h) en route to lifting the trophy.

The Serbian side are making their third appearance in the Champions League group stage; they previously featured in 2018/19 and 2019/20.

Having come through qualifying in both those campaigns, this is the first time the Belgrade club have gained automatic entry to the group stage.

European Cup winners in 1991, Crvena zvezda have suffered three qualifying eliminations since the most recent of those group appearances, losing in the third qualifying round in both 2020/21 and 2021/22 before being knocked out by Maccabi Haifa in last season's play-offs (2-3 a, 2-2 h).

Miloš Milojević's side subsequently finished bottom of UEFA Europa League Group H despite home wins against both Ferencváros (4-1) and Trabzonspor (2-1), their only points in a section that also included Monaco.

Crvena zvezda lost all three away games in last season's Europa League group stage, this season's loss at Manchester City making it five away European defeats in a row. A 2-0 win at Pyunik in last season's Champions League third qualifying round second leg is their only victory in their last nine away European fixtures (D2 L6).

The Red-Whites have lost all seven away games in the Champions League group stage, conceding 25 goals and scoring only three.

The club won a 34th league title, and a sixth in succession, in 2022/23, finishing 22 points ahead of runners-up TSC Bačka Topola. They also won the Serbian Cup for the third year in a row, defeating Čukarički 2-1 in the final.

Milojević departed at the end of the season, Maccabi Haifa coach Barak Bakhar joining as his replacement on 1 June.

Links and trivia

Leipzig coach Marco Rose was in charge of the Salzburg side that lost to Crvena zvezda in the 2018/19 Champions League play-offs; the first leg in Belgrade ended 0-0, the Serbian side progressing on away goals thanks to a 2-2 draw in Austria. Miloš Degenek and Milan Rodić played all 180 minutes for Crvena zvezda.

Christoph Baumgartner opened the scoring in Hoffenheim's 2-0 home win against Crvena zvezda on Matchday 1 of the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League, and came on as a substitute in a 0-0 draw in Belgrade on Matchday 5.

Aleksandar Dragović was a Bayer Leverkusen team-mate of Kevin Kampl and Benjamin Henrichs in 2016/17.

International team-mates:
Xaver Schlager, Nicolas Seiwald, Christoph Baumgartner & Aleksandar Dragović (Austria)

Willi Orbán got Hungary's winner in a 2-1 away victory against Serbia in UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying on 7 September.

Benjamin Šeško scored in Slovenia's 2-2 UEFA Nations League draw against Serbia on 12 June 2022.

Yussuf Poulsen was on target as Denmark beat Serbia 2-0 in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying on 13 June 2015.

Latest news

Leipzig

After six wins in a row Leipzig were without a victory in three games, all at home (D2 L1), before Saturday's 3-1 success at Darmstadt.

Loïs Openda's double, including one in the first minute, means he has scored four of Leipzig's last six goals.

Emil Forsberg got Leipzig's second goal, his first in the Bundesliga since 11 March.

On 30 September Marco Rose's team drew 2-2 against Bayern München before the 3-1 Matchday 2 defeat against Manchester City and a goalless draw against Bochum on 7 October.

On 27 September the holders won 3-2 in the first round of the German Cup at 2. Bundesliga side Wehen Wiesbaden, new signing Benjamin Šeško scoring twice. They visit Wolfsburg on 31 October in the next round.

On 12 August Leipzig prevailed 3-0 in the German Super Cup at Bayern – their first win in the competition on the second appearance. Dani Olmo scored all three goals.

On 13 October Openda's Belgium won 3-2 in Austria to qualify for UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany.

The following day Šeško struck twice for Slovenia in a 3-0 UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying success against Finland.

On 17 October Yussuf Poulsen scored Denmark's winner in a 2-1 qualifying victory at San Marino.

Benjamin Henrichs started on Saturday having been sidelined since 30 September because of a muscle injury.

On 8 September Olmo scored Spain's third goal in a 7-1 win in Georgia, but had to be replaced shortly before half-time with a knee injury and was out until coming on as a late substitute on Saturday.

On 10 September Willi Orbán had to be substituted on the hour in Hungary's 1-1 friendly draw against Czechia having suffered a knee injury that was expected to keep him on the sidelines for ten weeks.

El Chadaille Bitshiabu has been out since 8 August with a knee injury.

On 6 October Orbán signed a new contract until 2027. Kevin Kampl agreed a new deal until 2026 on 19 October.

Crvena zvezda

Defeat at Manchester City on Matchday 1 was Crvena zvezda's third loss in four games in all competitions (W1); they are unbeaten since (W4 D1).

Crvena zvezda won 3-2 at home to Javor on Saturday, although they twice let slip the lead before 18-year-old substitute Jovan Mijatović scored a 79th-minute winner five minutes after his introduction.

The Belgrade club were 6-0 winners at third division Trayal Kruševac in the Serbian Cup first round on 18 October, 18-year-old midfielder Jovan Šljivić scoring twice – his first goals for Crvena zvezda. Nikola Knežević, 20, was another player to open his account for the club with Mijatović also on target.

Peter Olayinka and Mirko Ivanić both scored twice in a 4-3 win at Radnicki Kragujevac on 8 October, a match that was subsequently awarded as a 3-0 win to Crvena zvezda due to a technical error from the home side.

Crvena zvezda won their first four games this season but have only five victories in their subsequent nine fixtures (D1 L3).

The Belgrade club went down 2-1 at Čukarički on 16 September. That was their second league defeat of the season, the other a 3-2 loss at Voždovac on 26 August that ended the Belgrade club's 65-match unbeaten run in the Serbian Super League (W56 D9). Their previous loss was a 2-1 reverse at Radnik Surdulica on 27 October 2021.

Crvena zvezda's two league defeats in 11 games in 2023/24 is as many as in their previous 120 matches.

Crvena zvezda have scored at least twice in ten of their 13 matches in all competitions this season.

Vladimir Lučić scored in Serbia's 9-1 loss in England and 2-1 victory in Northern Ireland in 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying on 12 and 16 October respectively. Stefan Mitrović also played 90 minutes in each match.

Osman Bukari missed Ghana's internationals having been replaced in the second half of the win at Radnicki Kragujevac with a hamstring injury and was also absent for Crvena zvezda on Saturday.