Seeking to remain in control of their Champions League knockout destiny, RB Leipzig make the long trip to Serbia to reunite with Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday in Group G.
The German giants ran out 3-1 winners when the sides butted heads at the Red Bull Arena two weeks ago, leaving them two places and five points better off than their imminent hosts in second place in the section.
Match preview
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A Red Bull Arena annihilation was ostensibly on the cards for Red Star when David Raum's fierce 12-minute drive found the back of the net, although as Leipzig made a meal out of a couple of passing sequences in their defensive third, Barak Bakhar's men were suddenly offered a slice of hope.
Xavi Simons sought to extinguish that flicker of optimism with a brilliant long-range curler, only to see Red Star cut the deficit in half 20 minutes before the end through Marko Stamenic, but Dani Olmo poked home the game's fourth and final goal to finally put Leipzig out of sight, thus leaving the Serbian powerhouses awaiting their first European win of the season.
Few would have backed Bakhar's crop to pip either Manchester City or Leipzig to a last-16 qualification berth, and this week's hosts will seemingly engage in a straight shootout with Young Boys for the consolation prize of Europa League football, with both teams sitting on a point apiece at the halfway mark.
However, Red Star's inferior disciplinary record means that they occupy last place in the four-team section for the time being, and defeat to Leipzig would officially rule them out of top-two contention, 32 years on from their infamous European Cup triumph over Marseille in the 1991 final.
Since that fateful day in Bari, Red Star have been one of the leakiest defences to grace the Champions League - conceding 35 goals in their last 11 top-tier European contests - but they will at least enter Tuesday's contest on the back of a 3-1 league win over Radnik Surdilica, extending their unbeaten domestic run to seven matches in the process.
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While Red Star have compensated for European shortcomings with a string of positive domestic results, the more revered troupe of RB Leipzig have seen their powers wane over the past week, firstly experiencing a Halloween fright in a 1-0 DFB-Pokal elimination at the hands of Wolfsburg.
Marco Rose's men sought to right those wrongs when they travelled to Mainz for Saturday's Bundesliga battle, but Die Roten Bullen were quelled by their hosts' backline and were then hit with a second-half sucker punch, as Lee Jae-sung and Leandro Barreiro subjected Leipzig to a second loss on the bounce.
Not since April had this week's visitors been consigned to back-to-back defeats across all tournaments, while both losses coming on the road may also see Rose's men travel to Belgrade with a slight sense of apprehension, but a return to winning ways could punch their ticket to the last 16 with a pair of games to spare.
With six points to their name, Leipzig are clinging onto second spot in the group and will be confirmed as knockout representatives alongside Manchester City if they do the business against Red Star and the holders manage at least a draw against Young Boys, who are five points worse off than Rose's men.
A new page of club history could also be written on Tuesday, where Leipzig could win four Champions League group-stage away games in a row for the first time ever, having previously put Celtic, Shakhtar Donetsk and Young Boys to the sword away from their German base.
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Team News
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The Red Star squad appears to be in relatively good shape ahead of Tuesday's showdown, but winger Aleksandar Katai is battling a stomach bug and was absent from the weekend's victory, while Filippo Falco is also struggling with an unspecified concern.
Bakhar is otherwise blessed with a fully-fit contingent for the visit of Leipzig, who should come up against a conservative 3-5-2 setup, likely with Cherif Ndiaye and Jovan Mijatovic joining forces in a two-pronged strikeforce.
No fewer than three players are at risk of suspension, though, as Milan Rodic, Marko Stamenic and Hwang In-beom will all sit out November 28's trip to Young Boys if they are cautioned on Tuesday.
While Leipzig do not have any players treading a tightrope, Olmo has re-entered the treatment room with a serious shoulder injury since netting against Red Star two weeks ago and is likely to miss the rest of 2023 as he recuperates from an operation.
Willi Orban's knee problem is unlikely to heal before the end of the month either, and Rose's defensive ranks are further depleted by the absence of El Chadaille Bitshiabu, who has a similar problem and is also at risk of sitting out the trip to Belgrade.
The visitors have also been hit with a double attacking blow, as Timo Werner will not make the cut due to illness, while Yussuf Poulsen only took part in individual training on Monday after tweaking his adductors and is uncertain.
Red Star Belgrade possible starting lineup:
Glazer; Rodic, Djiga, Spajic; Mijailovic, Stamenic, Hwang, Ivanic, Mitrovic; Mijatovic, Ndiaye
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Blaswich; Klostermann, Lukeba, Simakan; Henrichs, Haidara, Schlager, Raum; Simons, Baumgartner; Openda
We say: Red Star Belgrade 1-2 RB Leipzig
Leipzig ought to have learned their lesson about risky plays out from the back following their meeting with Red Star a fortnight ago, and their recent failures domestically should offer the hosts quite the injection of confidence.
Quelling Rose's effervescent young attackers is another matter entirely for the Serbian champions, though, and we have faith in Leipzig to rectify their recent defeats and advance to the knockout stages by virtue of a hard-fought victory.
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Ben Knapton
