CZ Belgrade vs. Maccabi Haifa: Preview and betting tips

On Tuesday, alongside Plzen and Karabakh, Crvena Zvezda Belgrade and Maccabi Haifa play for the Champions League. The opening match ended 3:2 for the Israeli champion, what to expect from the rematch and what to bet on?

Crvena Zvezda is the sovereign leader of the league, with full points after five rounds and a two-point lead with a game to spare for second place. In the third round of the Champions League, they gave Pjunik Yerevan seven on aggregate.

In Israel, the league hasn’t taken off yet, and perhaps because of the looser schedule, Maccabi has been so successful so far. First it surprisingly knocked out Olympiakos Piraeus of Greece, then, as expected, Apollon Limassol of Cyprus.

The home team is led by Serbian striker Milan Pavkov, who scored five goals and assisted once. Ghanaian striker Osman Bukari was even on nine goals, scoring six times and assisting on three goals. Guelor Kanga netted four times.

The visitors also have a goalscorer, with the star of the unassuming Haitian national team Frantzdy Pierrot having already scored five times in Champions League qualifying. Surinamese offensive midfielder Tjaronn Chery scored two goals.

The Belgrade side are in great scoring form, scoring an average of 3.75 goals per game in their last eight games.

Moreover, Haifa are not doing well away from home, having won only one of their last four matches away from home. On the other hand, it has scored at least three goals in three of its last four games.

Given the brutal form of Crvena Zvezda’s offense, I think they will win at home after regulation time.