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Manchester City will kickstart their Champions League title defense as they welcome Red Star Belgrade to the Etihad on Tuesday night.
European champions Manchester City have the opportunity to start their new Champions League campaign with an emphatic result as they square off against Serbian side Red Star Belgrade. City have enjoyed a perfect start in the Premier League this season, winning each of their five games so far.
They came from behind to win 3-1 against West Ham United at the London Stadium this past Saturday. After James Ward-Prowse had given the Hammers against the run of play in the 36th minute, Jeremy Doku restored parity as soon as the match resumed after halftime.
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Bernardo Silva eventually gave City the lead after running onto a lovely lobbed ball into the box from Julian Alvarez in the 76th minute. Erling Haaland, for whom it looked like a frustrating day at the office, produced a clinical finish past a determined Alphonse Areola 10 minutes later to put the Hammers to the sword.
Meanwhile, their Tuesday opponents Red Star Belgrade have looked shaky in recent weeks after a positive start. They have lost two of their last three matches after starting the campaign with four successive victories.
They fell to a 2-1 loss to FK Čukarički this Saturday and will need to address their issues at the back ahead of their visit to Manchester on Tuesday. The Serbian outfit has conceded six goals in their last three matches and if they bring that form to the Etihad, they are likely to get pummelled by Haaland and co.
Manchester City vs Red Star Belgrade Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- This is the first-ever meeting between Manchester City and Red Star Belgrade. This will also be the first time that City will face any team from Serbia.
- Red Star Belgrade have picked up just a single win from their last 11 away games against European opponents in all competitions.
- This will be the first time that Red Star Belgrade will face the reigning European champions in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League. In their last two campaigns, they faced the eventual winners of the competition (Liverpool in 2018-19 and Bayern Munich in 2019-20),
- Manchester City were unbeaten in the 2022-23 Champions League campaign.
- This is Manchester City's 13th successive season playing in the Champions League. They've reached the knockout stages of the competition in each of the last 10 campaigns.
Manchester City vs Red Star Belgrade Prediction
Manchester City are likely to run riot at the Etihad against Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday. Given City's free-scoring form and Red Star Belgrade's defensive woes, there is only one outcome that we expect to see.
Prediction: Manchester City 4-0 Red Star Belgrade
Manchester City vs Red Star Belgrade Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Manchester City to win
Tip 2: Game to have over 2.5 goals - Yes
Tip 3: Manchester City to keep a clean sheet - Yes
