Famous Ukrainian journalist, Armed Forces serviceman, and former commentator Roberto Morales has prepared a prediction for the second leg of the Champions League qualifying match “Pafos” - “Crvena Zvezda”.
Roberto Morales— In Belgrade at the “Rajko Mitic” stadium, the Cypriots scored three times, though only two of those goals were counted, but even that is good. Meanwhile, the hosts could only score once - they initially missed a penalty, but the Brazilian Bruno Duarte, who used to score quite well for “Lviv”, quickly made up for it. As a result, “Pafos” secured a strategically very important victory in Belgrade, 2:1.
The Cypriots play a fairly simple, but well-automated football. Moreover, the team has individually strong players - Mislav Orsic, Joao Correia.
“Pafos” coach Juan Carlos Carcedo was an assistant to Unai Emery until 2020, and since 2023 he has been leading his current team, and he should be called the main asset of the Cypriots. In 2024, he won the cup, in 2025 the championship, and took “Pafos” to the playoffs of the Conference League.
“Crvena Zvezda” passed “Lincoln Red Imps” and “Lech” from Poznań in the Champions League qualifying. The defeat to “Pafos” is their first of the season. The national championship “Delije” has been won for the last eight consecutive seasons. The team has 21 legionnaires, only six of whom are from neighboring Balkan countries. However, the main newcomer and superstar Marko Arnautovic will not play in this match, as he is not yet registered. Meanwhile, center-back Rodrigo and Rade Krunic return after suspension.
The bet - the hosts will not lose and the total will be less than 3.5, - predicts the expert.
