Former winners Crvena Zvezda and Benfica are looking to perform better in the revamped Champions League group stage compared to last season.
While both teams made it to the group stage, Crvena Zvezda finished at the bottom of their group with one point, and Benfica managed just one win to secure a distant third-place finish in their section.
Team updates
Crvena Zvezda will play in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Bruno Duarte as the lone striker. Forward Vladimir Lucic will be missing for the Serbian league leaders due to injury.
Striker Tiago Gouveia is uncertain for the away team, who are also expected to use a 4-2-3-1 system with new forward Evangelos Pavlidis leading the attack.
Statistics
Crvena Zvezda have not been defeated at the Stadion Rajko Mitic since December last year. They have won six and drawn one of their seven Super League matches this season, scoring at least two goals in 11 of their last 13 games in all competitions.
The Serbian team has scored in the second half of their last 12 matches across all competitions.
Their 2-0 victory over Bodo/Glimt to advance to this stage ended a nine-game winless streak in the Champions League.
Benfica are on an unbeaten streak of four games, winning three, following their 2-0 defeat to Famalicao on the opening day.
The Portuguese side have lost five and won just one of their last eight Champions League matches.
Forecast
Crvena Zvezda are feeling like they have an opportunity after almost missing out on qualifying for the new group stage, so they should not be underestimated.
They were 2-0 down against Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of their play-off round, but a late goal from Ognen Mimovic gave them hope, and a 2-0 win at home in the second leg secured their spot.
The fans who supported them against Bodo will be just as passionate against Benfica, who are a stronger team than the Norwegians but have not been in top form with 10 points from five matches in the Primeira Liga.
Benfica have a strong history, but like Crvena Zvezda, they struggled in the group stage last season, finishing third and progressing to the Europa League quarter-finals.
Despite this, Benfica is not as dominant as before, and Crvena Zvezda should be confident playing at home, where they have not lost in nine months, to avoid a defeat.