Two champions among themselves – the Bulgarian challenges the Serbian
There are eight national champions in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, which has only 32 teams since this season. A championship duel will be played on the second matchday in Group F. In the Huveharma Arena in Bulgaria Ludogorets and Red Star Belgrade will face each other
As reigning champions, both teams started internationally in the Champions League qualifiers and thus participation in the Europa League is virtually only the consolation prize. Ludogorets surprisingly lost in the playoffs against Malmö FF, Red Star Belgrade sensationally lost against underdog Sheriff Tiraspol. Now the knockout phase in the Europa League is the big goal for both teams.
On the first matchday, Red Star celebrated a home win against Braga, while Ludogorets had to settle for a draw at Midtjylland in Denmark. The bookmakers are expecting an even match on the second matchday. A look at the betting odds for Ludogorets against Red Star Belgrade makes this clear, as they are almost identical. The match kicks off on Thursday at 9 p.m.
Bulgaria Ludogorets – Statistics & current form
No other team in Europe has been able to celebrate more national championships in recent years than Ludogorets Rasgrad. The team from the city of 30,000 inhabitants won its tenth championship in a row last season. Bayern are in second place in this statistic with nine titles in a row.
Internationally disappointing of late
At national level, the team of head coach Valdas Dambrauskas has no real competition and often even mediocre performances are enough to leave the field as winners. The team is rarely really challenged and losing points is an absolute exception.
Internationally, on the other hand, the Bulgarians are the underdogs and had to pay a lot of dues last season. In the group phase of the UEFA Europa League, the Bulgarians disappointed all along the line, losing all six group matches and conceding no fewer than 20 goals.
After their elimination in the CL qualifiers against Malmö FF, Ludogrets are now participating in the EL group stage for the sixth time. In three of the five participations, the team reached the knockout phase. A goal that seems quite realistic in this well-balanced group.
Home strength as a plus point
The results last season were devastating in the Europa League, but in the performance a fortnight ago in Denmark against Midtjylland there was a clearly improved performance compared to last year.
This is another reason why it is surprising that such high odds are being offered for betting on the home side between Ludogorets and Red Star Belgrade. The Bulgarians’ home strength is well known and has already been underlined this season, with four home wins in the national championship with a goal difference of 13:1 The Bulgarians also celebrated success in all four international matches.
Predicted line-up of Ludogorets:
Kahlina – Nedyalkov, Plastun, Sa, Cicinho – Santana, Badji, Goncalves – Despodov, Manu, Tekpetey.
Last matches played by Ludogorets:
Serbia Red Star Belgrade – Statistics & Current Form
The traditional Serbian club, often referred to internationally as “crvena zvezda”, established itself as the absolute number one in domestic football in recent years. They won the championship for the fourth time in a row and also achieved the national double for the first time since 2006/07. The Serbians were also convincing on the international stage and failed in the knockout phase of the Europa League by a razor-thin margin against AC Milan due to the away goals rule.
El group stage each survived
The top flight was the Serbs’ ultimate goal, but Moldovan underdog Sheriff Tiraspol put an end to that dream. After all, they managed to eliminate CFR Cluj in the play-offs for the Europa League and thus secured their third Europa League group stage. In both participations (2017/18 and 2020/21), Red Star reached the knockout phase as group runners-up
The Serbians currently top the Group F table, with a late penalty goal from winger Aleksandar Katai giving them a 2-1 home win over Portuguese representatives Braga on matchday one. Belgrade, in particular, has been the target of many big-name clubs.
The results on the international stage are often mixed away from home. There are always positive results, but all in all, Red Star is certainly in a weaker class as a guest. In this respect, there is no value to be found between Ludogorets and Red Star Belgrade in the prediction on the Serbians.
This will be a special match for Red Star Belgrade goalkeeper Milan Borjan, who was under contract with Ludogorets from 2014 to 2017 but only made 18 appearances. In Belgrade, he became an absolute crowd favourite and back-up.
Predicted line-up of Red Star Belgrade:
Borjan – Rodic, Dragovic, Degenek, Gobeljic – Kanga, Sanogo, Ivanic – Katai, Zivkovic, El Fardou Ben
Last matches played by Red Star Belgrade:
Ludogorets – Red Star Belgrade Direct comparison / H2H record
This clash took place in the third qualifying round for the UEFA Champions League in the 2016/17 season. Both matches ended in a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes and thus went into extra time in the Hexenkessel in Belgrade. Thanks to two goals by Wanderson (formerly with Red Bull Salzburg), Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Rasgrad came out on top with an overall score of 6:4. The Bulgarians have thus not yet lost any of their six competitive matches against Serbian teams (three wins, three draws).
Bulgaria Ludogorets – Red Star Belgrade Serbia Tip
No easy task in Group F is to predict the two promoted teams. All four teams are at a fairly similar level, so nuances will probably determine success and failure. The home matches are of great importance in this respect. In the championship duel between Ludogorets and Red Star Belgrade, odds of 2.75 are offered for betting on the Bulgarians.
The bet on the home victory is certainly associated with risk, but the “Draw-No-Bet” in favour of the Bulgarians also has its appeal. Qualitatively, the Serbs are not really stronger and Ludogorets is also considered very strong at home.
The most interesting betting option for Ludogorets against Red Star Belgrade is the prediction of an over 2.5, because the two teams regularly provide goal festivals in the national championship. Internationally, both teams often act a bit more defensively, but three goals are still a good option. The two previous duels, which both ended in a 2:2 draw, also speak for this prediction
