The Matchday 7 clash in the 2024/25 Champions League group stage between Crvena Zvezda (Serbia) and PSV (Netherlands) will take place on January 21 at the Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade. Crvena Zvezda vs. PSV: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Istvan Kovacs (Romania)
Matches – 6 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 24;
Average yellow cards per match – 4;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 17%.
Predicted lineups for Crvena Zvezda vs. PSV
Crvena Zvezda (4-2-3-1): Ivan Gutessa – Uros Spajic, Nasser Djiga, Vanja Drkusic, Sol Yeon U – Rade Krunic, Timi Elsnik – Silas Katompa Mvumpa, Andrija Maksimovic, Felicio Milson – Sheriff Ndiaye.
PSV (4-3-3): Walter Benitez – Richard Ledesma, Ryan Flamingo, Olivier Boscagli, Mauro Junior – Jerdy Schouten, Guus Til, Ismael Saibari – Johan Bakayoko, Luuk de Jong, Noa Lang.
Crvena Zvezda
Vladan Milojevic's side suffered a 1-2 defeat away to Milan in the last round, conceding the decisive goal late in the match. As a result, Crvena Zvezda has now lost five times in the group stage and remains with only three points. The team is in 31st place in the standings but still has a chance to reach the playoffs – they must win both remaining matches. Notably, the club has conceded 19 goals in the group stage, only ahead of Slovan (21) and Young Boys (22) in this regard.
Forwards Bruno Duarte and Peter Olayinka will miss the match due to injuries.
- The team has not won in regular time in 6 of their last 8 home matches in the Champions League (2 draws, 4 losses).
- Both opponents scored in 7 of the club's last 8 home matches in this European competition.
- The Serbs have scored at least two goals in regular time in 7 of their last 9 home matches in the Champions League.
PSV
In the last round, Peter Bosz's side was defeated 0-1 away to Brest. Consequently, PSV's four-match unbeaten run in the Champions League (2 wins, 2 draws) came to an end. Furthermore, the club failed to score for the first time in this edition of the European competition. In the standings, the Dutch have eight points and are in 23rd position. Notably, they have collected only one point away in the group stage.
Defender Sergino Dest will not play due to injury. Defender Matteo Darmian and midfielder Malik Tillman are suspended.
- The club has not won in regular time in 7 of their last 8 away matches in the Champions League (3 draws, 4 losses).
- Both opponents scored in 9 of the team's last 12 away matches in this European competition.
- PSV has not scored more than one goal in regular time in 6 of their last 7 away matches in the Champions League.
Crvena Zvezda vs. PSV: Match Prediction
At home, the Serbs play boldly and often create problems even for top-level opponents. The team aims to spend a lot of time in attack and pushes forward with many players, resulting in regular scoring: in their last 12 home matches in the Champions League, Crvena Zvezda has found the net, scoring at least twice in nine of those games. Meanwhile, the team's defense is not known for its reliability: they have kept a clean sheet only once in their last eight home matches in this European competition.
PSV also prefers an attacking style and tries to play forward even away from home: in their last 17 away matches in the Champions League, the team has failed to score only three times. However, the Dutch often make mistakes at the back: they have conceded in 12 of their last 12 away matches in the Champions League, allowing at least two goals in seven of those games.
I believe this will be a high-scoring encounter, with both sides performing well in attack. My prediction: Both teams to score – yes
