Pafos FC vs Red Star Belgrade Prediction 26 August 2025
Added on 24 August, 2025
Paphos will defend a slim but valuable one-goal advantage when they visit Belgrade for the second leg of their Champions League qualifier against Crvena Zvezda.
The Cypriot champions have been one of the revelations of this season’s qualifying campaign. After edging past Maccabi Tel Aviv (1:1, 1:0) and Dynamo Kyiv (1:0, 2:0), the “Cityzens” have shown remarkable discipline and efficiency, relying on a defensive style that has so far paid dividends. Regardless of the outcome in Serbia, Paphos have already secured at least a Europa League place — a major success for the club.
Crvena Zvezda, by contrast, approach the second leg under pressure. A familiar presence in the Champions League group stage, the Serbian giants are not eager to settle for the Europa League. They brushed aside Lincoln Red Imps (1:0, 5:1) and Lech Poznań (3:1, 1:1) in earlier rounds, and warmed up with a convincing 4:1 league win over Mladost Lučani. Now, however, the Armymen must overturn the deficit against a side that thrives on shutting games down.
Belgrade’s hosts will be forced to take risks and push numbers forward in search of goals, but that could leave gaps for Paphos to exploit on the counter. The result is likely to be a tense but open affair, where both sides may find the net.
Both teams to score 1.58