Celtic can exploit Red Star Belgrade’s defensive vulnerabilities

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The Celtic Star

·24 de septiembre de 2025

Celtic can exploit Red Star Belgrade’s defensive vulnerabilities

Celtic begin their Europa League campaign tonight with a trip into one of the most intimidating arenas in European football…

Zvezda stadion, Belgrade

The Rajko Mitić Stadium in Belgrade, known as the “Marakana” for its ear-splitting atmosphere, awaits Brendan Rodgers’ side as they take on Red Star Belgrade, the perennial Serbian champions and one of the continent’s most formidable home teams.

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This is more than a meeting of clubs, it is also perhaps a collision of two historic institutions who share striking parallels in history, ambition and footballing culture.

Cherif Ndiaye of Crvena Zvezda celebrates after scoring a goal during the Serbian SuperLiga season 2024/2025 match between Crvena Zvezda and Partizan at Rajko Mitic Stadium on February 22, 2025 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)

Both clubs are former European champions, Celtic having conquered Europe in 1967 under Jock Stein, Red Star lifting the trophy in 1991 after overcoming Marseille on penalties in Bari. Both have had sustained domestic dominance, alongside carrying the weight of expectation from vast, passionate fanbases that demand silverware every season. And both, in the modern era, find themselves seeking to reassert their continental pedigree through deep runs in European competition.

Head coach Vladan Milojevic looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League group B match between Crvena Zvezda and Bayern Muenchen at Rajko Mitic Stadium on November 26, 2019 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)

Red Star come into this tie riding a wave of highly impressive domestic success. Last season, Vladan Milojević’s side won an eighth consecutive Serbian SuperLiga title, rewriting the record books in the process. They finished a staggering 27 points clear of second place, the largest winning margin in Europe, and became the only team on the continent to break the 100-point barrier.

Their win rate of 86.5 per cent was the best in Europe’s top divisions, while their attack scored an incredible 123 goals in 37 matches, an impressive average of 3.32 per game. They lost only once all season and completed the domestic double by winning the Serbian Cup.

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The new season has picked up where the last left off. Although their hopes of reaching the Champions League group stage for a third successive year were dashed by a narrow 3–2 aggregate defeat to Cypriot side Pafos in the playoff round, Red Star have responded in characteristic fashion. They remain unbeaten in the league, winning all seven fixtures to sit comfortably atop the SuperLiga, and their overall record across all competitions stands at ten wins, two draws and just one defeat.

Celtic arrive in Belgrade after our own European awakening last season. The 2024/25 campaign was the first under UEFA’s new Champions League ‘League Phase’ and Brendan Rodgers’ side adapted impressively, producing a string of strong performances that included a memorable 5–1 demolition of Slovan Bratislava at Celtic Park.

Over the course of eight league-phase matches Celtic recorded three wins and three draws, enough to secure a place in the knockout play-off round, the adventure ended with a 3-2 aggregate defeat in Munich, but Celtic left the competition with credibility enhanced and valuable experience banked.

Red Star’s Champions League campaign told a slightly different story. They fought through qualifying rounds and produced flashes of brilliance, including a spectacular 5–1 home victory over VfB Stuttgart, but inconsistency and defensive lapses ultimately undermined their progress.

Away from the comforts of the Marakana, they struggled to reproduce their domestic dominance, conceding soft goals and failing to convert chances. The contrast between their ferocity at home and fragility on the road was striking.

In that sense, the two clubs experienced similar European seasons. Both came into the competition as domestic champions, eager to test themselves against elite opposition. Both thrilled their home supporters with big wins under the lights. And both discovered that Europe punishes even momentary lapses in concentration, exposing defensive vulnerabilities not often seen in their home leagues.

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Vladan Milojevic, Head Coach of FK Crvena Zvezda, looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between FC Internazionale Milano and FK Crvena Zvezda at Stadio San Siro on October 01, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

The tactical battle in Belgrade promises to be fascinating. Milojević favours an attacking 4-2-3-1 system, that reflects Red Star’s domestic dominance.

The full-backs are encouraged to push high and stretch the pitch, while the double pivot provides the balance needed for creative midfielders to roam. It is worth noting, in European competition, they also deviate to a 4-4-1-1 formation and can be more cautious than in domestic games.

Mirko Ivanic of Crvena Zvezda celebrates after scoring the third goal of his team during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD5 match between FK Crvena Zvezda and VfB Stuttgart at Stadion Rajko Mitic on November 27, 2024 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)

Serbian playmaker Mirko Ivanić is the key connector between midfield and attack, linking play and unlocking defences with incisive passing. The chief danger, however, comes from Aleksander Katai, a veteran wide forward in sensational form. Katai has started the new season with 11 goals in 10 appearances, combining sharp movement with ruthless finishing. Alongside him, Marko Arnautović brings power, experience and clever hold-up play.

Brendan Rodgers, Celtic Glasgow press conference ahead UEFA Europa league match against Crvena zvezda at Rajko Mitic stadium, Belgrade 23.09.2025 Belgrade Rajko Mitic stadium Serbia Photo VM/MN Press

Celtic, meanwhile, are likely to stick with Rodgers’ preferred 4-3-3 shape, built around control in midfield and pace in wide areas. Celtic’s wide players will be critical in stretching Red Star’s defence and exploiting the spaces left by their adventurous full-backs. Quick transitions and well-timed diagonal runs could unsettle a back line that holds a high line and occasionally leaves gaps behind.

Despite their overwhelming domestic statistics, Red Star are not without weaknesses. Their desire to dominate possession and push numbers forward leaves them vulnerable to quick counter-attacks, especially in the channels behind the full-backs. Pafos exploited these areas in the Champions League playoff, switching play rapidly and catching Red Star’s defence flat-footed. Set pieces also represent a potential avenue for Celtic. The Serbian champions have shown uncertainty when defending corners and deep free-kicks, and are sometimes exposed when the delivery is accurate and physical pressure is applied, meanwhile their discipline in the press is not consistent.

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Callum McGregor of Celtic applauds the fans after the team’s victory in the Premier Sports League Cup match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 15, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Celtic’s task will be to remain compact, frustrate Red Star’s creative midfielders and spring forward at pace when possession is won. Intelligent pressing on Red Star’s build-up play could also force errors, particularly as the Serbian side are not used to facing opponents with Celtic’s high intensity and counter pressing approach.

The similarities between these two clubs extend well beyond tactics. Both carry the burden of enormous domestic expectation. Celtic supporters demand titles and European progress every season, just as Red Star’s faithful measure success not only by trophies but by continental recognition. Both have suffered from the same paradox, in that they dominate at home to the point where league matches rarely prepare them for the step up in quality that European competition requires.

Sebastian Tounekti during the Partick Thistle v Celtic. Premier Sports League Cup. Sunday 21 September. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Their recent Champions League campaigns underline these parallels. Both clubs thrilled their home crowds with emphatic victories, Celtic’s five-goal demolition of Slovan Bratislava, Red Star’s five-goal rout of Stuttgart, but both ultimately fell short of the last 16 stages their fans crave. Both were also reminded that while domestic dominance breeds confidence, Europe demands something more, defensive discipline, tactical flexibility and the ability to take half-chances against top-class opponents.

For Celtic, tonight is not only an opportunity to claim a valuable away result in the Europa League. It is a chance to measure themselves against a team that mirrors their own ambitions and challenges. Red Star will likely attack with the swagger of serial champions, but Celtic have faced such atmospheres before and know how to stay calm under pressure. Celtic’s ability to exploit Red Star’s defensive gaps, stay disciplined in midfield and silence the Marakana faithful could set the tone for the entire European campaign.

Reo Hatate in action. Partick Thistle v Celtic. Premier Sports League Cup. Sunday 21 September. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

This encounter feels like more than a group-stage fixture. It is a meeting in football terms, of two proud European champions with decades of history, fervent fanbases and a shared desire to remind the continent of their pedigree.

Daizen Maeda of Celtic Ajax v Celtic, Como Cup Pre Season Football, Football, Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, Como, Italy – 24 Jul 2025Como Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia Italy. Photo Shutterstock IMAGO

The parallels are certainly striking and perhaps home advantage for Red Star will make all the difference. But Celtic’s form in the Champions League was slightly better than Red Star’s and Celtic’s defence has been frugal this season. If Celtic can keep that up, and operate from a mid-block, it could unsettle Red Star, and if we can spring with pace on the counter and be clinical in front of goal – it could well be a game that plays to Daizen Maeda’s strengths – Celtic have a chance in Belgrade of coming home with at least a point, if not a long overdue win on the road.

Niall J

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