Red Star vs Hapoel: Stankovic Says Squad Is Fully Fit

The gates at Rajko Mitic Stadium open at 6 p.m., a full two hours before kickoff. Ahead of the return leg, the club sent out a statement that reads less like a match preview and more like crowd control instructions: fans cannot pass through the so called comb entry two at a time, the crossing from the west side to the south side is closed because of arriving away supporters, and everyone needs a ticket, regardless of age.

Within that setup, Red Star host Hapoel Beer Sheva on Tuesday, August 11 at 8 p.m., in the return leg of the third qualifying round for the Champions League. The Israeli side won the first leg 1-0, on neutral ground in Szombathely, Hungary, which means Belgrade needs two goals to go through inside regulation time.

Manager Dejan Stankovic opened his press conference with the question everyone had been waiting on: the injury report.

“Everyone is healthy, we managed to recover,” Stankovic said.

That is the first piece of good news since Szombathely. The second is that the squad has grown deeper, with Jay Enem back in contention after a strong performance and a goal in the first leg. Stankovic mentioned him as an extra option but declined to reveal his starting eleven.

Why does Lukasen play on the right?

There was one decision he did not keep to himself, and it happened to be the one most talked about since the first match.

“Lukasen will play on the right, and he’s right footed, just so I make that clear,” the Red Star coach said.

The line was short, but it was aimed at something specific. Lukasen’s placement on the right had been debated in the days between the two matches, and Stankovic closed the argument in a single sentence, adding a detail that had been missing from that debate.

Energy is the word of the day

One theme kept coming back throughout the press conference, and it was not tactics. It was energy, from the stands and from the pitch.

Every voice and every clapping hand will be needed, but also a different energy than what we had in the first match. I think we managed to control this week well and prepare the match properly.

The week between the two legs went according to plan, in his words. Stankovic also made clear there is no easing off in the locker room.

“They’re aware of everything, there’s no more messing around,” he said.

Asked about his own position, he did not take the bait.

“I want to keep my calm, to pass confidence on to my players,” he said, adding: “Pressure is part of my job.”

What the club is asking of fans

Alongside the football, Red Star published a list of obligations for anyone attending. On entry to the stadium, it comes down to a handful of points:

• gates open at 6 p.m., and the club is asking fans to arrive early
• the comb entry lets people through one at a time, never two together
• everyone needs both a ticket and an identification document
• fans under 16 cannot attend without a parent or guardian
• the crossing from the west side to the south side is closed because of the away fans

The club also announced that approaches, entrances and stands will be filmed before, during and after the match.

Who is refereeing and what Hapoel’s squad list looks like was covered earlier, in our report on the appointment of referee Niberga and the absence of Baltacea.

A one goal deficit is not insurmountable, but Red Star created too few chances in Hungary to lean on that alone. If the match goes to extra time, it will mean 120 minutes on Tuesday night. Kickoff is at 8 p.m.