Red Star Belgrade vs Benfica: Preview, predictions and lineups | OneFootball

Benfica begin their Champions League campaign in hostile territory as they take on Red Star Belgrade in the Serbian capital on Thursday evening.

Red Star, amid a golden era for Yugoslavian football, were one of the final victors of the European Cup before the Champions League's emergence in 1992. Modern iterations have generally struggled to compete with Europe's best, with the club failing to reach the knockout stages of the competition since its rebranding.

After winning their seventh straight Serbian title last season, Red Star overcame Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt in the play-offs to qualify for the league phase.

Benfica are far more established in UEFA's premier club competition, but they haven't conquered Europe since the 60s. The Portuguese side have at least advanced into the knockout stages in recent years, but they're still some distance off the continent's supreme forces.

Here's 90min's preview of Thursday's Champions League clash in Belgrade.

Red Star Belgrade vs Benfica H2H Record (All Games)

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Red Star Belgrade team news

Bruno Duarte will lead Red Star's line on Thursday / Srdjan Stevanovic/GettyImages

Red Star's Serb-heavy squad is not blighted by injuries heading into their first league phase fixture, but they are set to be without goalkeeper Omri Glazer and Vladimir Lucic for Benfica's visit. While Glazer is dealing with a leg injury, Lucic is currently out of action with a knee issue.

Goalscorers from the weekend, Bruno Duarte and Mirko Ivanic, are the hosts' primary threats.

Red Star Belgrade predicted lineup vs Benfica

Red Star Belgrade predicted lineup vs Benfica (4-2-3-1): Ilic; Mimovic, Lekovic, Drkusic, Seol; Krunic, Elsnik; Silas, Ivanic, Olayinka; Duarte.

Benfica team news

Kerem Aktürkoğlu has had an immediate impact for Roger Schmidt's side / Gualter Fatia/GettyImages

The visitors will be without a couple of players on Thursday, although Benfica's current absentees aren't expected to be out of action for very long.

Andre Gomes and Tiago Gouveia are nursing muscle and shoulder injuries respectively, with the pair poised to return to action before the October international break.

Angel Di Maria will start down Benfica's right, with Florentino Luis and Orkun Kokcu making up a well-balanced midfield pivot. Summer arrival Kerem Akturkoglu has immediately come into Roger Schmidt's side and should start again in Belgrade.

Benfica predicted lineup vs Red Star Belgrade

Benfica predicted lineup vs Red Star Belgrade (4-2-3-1): Trubin; Bah, Silva, Otamendi, Carrera; Luis, Kokcu; Di Maria, Rollheiser, Akturkoglu; Cabral.

Red Star Belgrade vs Benfica score prediction

Trips to eastern Europe may not be as daunting as they once were, but they remain tricky for visiting teams. Red Star are used to running all over teams on home soil domestically, but they've typically struggled to match that form in Europe.

Thus, Benfica should be confident of securing an away win to kick off their league phase. They head into the contest on a four-game unbeaten run after losing to Familicao on the opening weekend of the Primeira Liga season, with Schmidt having a talented squad at his disposal that could cause a few surprises in Europe this term.

They'll have to dig deep to prevail on Thursday.