- Team form: Red Star are unbeaten at home this season (3 games), with 3.00 goals scored and 0.33 conceded on average.
- Away form: Copenhagen have lost two of their last five matches, both away from home (defeats to Hamburger SV and Midtjylland).
- Recent run: Red Star have won seven of their last ten in all competitions (D1, L2).
Crveno-beli and the Lions looking to roar to victory
FK Red Star Belgrade (Crvena Zvezda) and FC Copenhagen are in very good form at the moment and it's hard to split the sides when looking for an outright winner in Thursday's UEFA Conference League - League Phase 2026-2027 clash. Crveno-beli are the slight favorites at 2.45 here, just ahead of the Lions at 2.77, with the draw priced at 3.6.
The market seems to have it right for the fixture, so we'll swerve that and head for the goals in this fixture. Over 2.5 goals at 1.7 and Both Teams to Score – Yes at 1.55 look the best bets, while we will go with a 2-1 win for the hosts as our correct score selection.
Red Star are a well-balanced team under Albert Riera
Albert Riera has instilled a controlled build-up and sudden vertical bursts upon Red Star since taking charge on 14 August 2026, with his 4-2-3-1 or flexible 4-3-3 system built upon the staggered midfield and full-backs high and wide. Crveno-beli will look to build up their possession with their five-man midfield, before exploding forward with quick, vertical passes through the channels.
However, Riera's men aren't perfect, following up a 0-3 away win at FK Radnicki 1923 Kragujevac with a 3-2 away loss to FC Lugano in their most recent European game.
Copenhagen will counter-press and press some more
The hosts are coming into the game after a 3-2 loss away at FC Lugano, meaning their recent form reads four wins and one loss. That's a solid spell, but Copenhagen's will probably be even better.
Bo Svensson's team have won three and lost two of their last five, a mixed bag of results following defeats to Hamburger SV and Midtjylland, both of which came away from home. Svensson has Copenhagen pressing hard and counter-pressing even harder since taking over on 30 March 2026, while his 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 system is built on similar foundations to Red Star's – they just do it all at a higher tempo.
The visitors beat SC Braga 3-0 at home earlier today, so they arrive in Serbia in good shape, although their two defeats in the last 11 days show that they are a bit soft on the road. The value of the away win is still there, but with Red Star in such good form at their own ground, we're going for a home win here and keeping the away line of the draw no bet selection.
Tactical matchup
- Red Star are scoring and conceding averages of 3.00 and 0.33 respectively at Stadion Rajko Mitic, while Copenhagen's away record across all competitions reads 2.00 goals scored and 0.80 goals conceded per game from five games.
- This is a real matchup between two midfields and pressing systems, with Copenhagen looking to turn over Red Star in their own half and the home side looking to exploit the gaps left behind by Copenhagen's forward pressing.
- Copenhagen's recent away defeats, combined with their need to attack, suggest that Red Star could score two goals and force the Danish side to come up with a goal of their own.
