Last update at 26 August, 2026 ⏲️ Reading time: 1 minute
The second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League begins on Tuesday as Larne welcome Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade to Northern Ireland. While the hosts deserve credit for reaching this stage, they now face a significant step up in class against one of Europe's most experienced qualifying teams. Our Larne vs Red Star Belgrade prediction is for a comfortable away victory in the first leg.
Larne vs Red Star Belgrade – Stats & Bets
Winner Market
The Larne vs Red Star Belgrade odds heavily favour the visitors, and it's easy to see why. Larne progressed through the opening qualifying round with a professional 3-1 aggregate victory over Tre Fiori, winning 1-0 away before completing the job with a 2-1 success at home. Those results demonstrated Larne's organisation and resilience, but Red Star represent a completely different calibre of opponent. The Serbian champions enter straight into the second qualifying round and arrive fresh, with far greater European experience and a squad expected to compete for a place in the league phase. The bookmakers have Larne at 5/1 to win the match, while Red Star are clear favourites at 1/2. Those prices reflect the gap in quality between the two sides, and it would be a major surprise if the visitors failed to take a first-leg advantage back to Belgrade.
Goals Market
When considering Larne vs Red Star Belgrade bets, backing Red Star to win by a comfortable margin also stands out. The Serbian side possess considerably more attacking quality and should enjoy the majority of possession throughout the evening. Larne are likely to defend deep and remain compact for long periods, but sustaining that pressure over 90 minutes will be a difficult task. With the return leg still to come, Red Star will want to put the tie in a commanding position at the earliest opportunity. If they score first, spaces should begin to open as Larne are forced to commit more players forward.