PSG vs Red Star Belgrade Predictions

If you were going to construct a Champions League fixture to illustrate the changing landscape of European football, this would be it. PSG have grown into heavyweights of the continent since the huge injection of oil money, and they’re facing a Red Star Belgrade side who have fallen on tough times over the last few decades.

The Serbian side were a European powerhouse, winning the European Cup in 1991 before a slow decline in their fortunes. This is their first ever Champions League group stage campaign, with their last similar season being their European Cup group stage journey the year after they lifted the trophy.

As you would expect, the talents of each squad are somewhat mismatched. On the one hand you have a PSG side containing some of the world’s most expensive players, with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe alone costing in excess of £350 million. Meanwhile, their Serbian opposition’s most valuable player is striker Richmond Boakye, with an estimated market value of just £4 million.

The Ligue 1 champions didn’t get off to the best start in the Champions League this term though, losing 3-2 against Liverpool in an Anfield thriller. That remains the only time they have failed to win this season, and their goalscoring record will strike fear into the hearts of the visiting Serbians. They have scored a stupendous 33 goals in their ten competitive games so far, so Red Star’s defence are in for a difficult evening.

Red Star Belgrade aren’t used to losing though. In fact, their last competitive defeat came all the way back in February when they lost to CSKA Moscow in the Europa League, with a huge 34 competitive games being played between then and now. This includes an impressive draw at home to Napoli in their first ever Champions League group game.

The visitors will take heart from the fact that PSG’s defence isn’t exactly stalwart either. The French side have kept just two clean sheets since the start of the Ligue 1 season, conceding an average of one goal per game in all competitions. Red Star Belgrade, meanwhile, have scored in seven of their last eight in all competitions and have failed to find the net away from home just twice since that February loss to CSKA Moscow.

Red Star won’t exactly be confident about their chances of getting a result at the Parc des Princes, but they will fancy their chances of getting on the scoresheet against their illustrious opponents. PSG’s incredibly attacking force makes defending more of an afterthought in their gameplan, so backing a PSG Win and Both Teams to Score looks a good move here, along with a 4-1 correct score predictions.