The Europa League has reached the final round of group matches and despite Arsenal sitting in control at the top of Group H, we are in for an exciting finish between the teams below them. Red Star Belgrade currently occupy second place with 6 points to their name and they are joined on that total with German club Koln. At the bottom of the group, BATE Borisov have 5 points but face a trip to the Emirates to play Arsenal. This means the match between Red Star Belgrade and Koln in Serbia should be a winner takes all game and whoever comes out on top, will go through.
UEFA Europa League – Stadium Red Star Belgrade – Thursday 7th December – 20:00 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 12/5 at Unibet |
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Red Star Belgrade
FC CologneRed Star Belgrade Form
Red Star Belgrade may find themselves in second place in Group H but wins have been very difficult to come by for the Serbian team in the Europa League this season. In fact, they have won only 1 of their 5 group games, which was a 1-0 win at Koln in the reverse of this upcoming fixture. Their remaining 3 points have come via draws with Arsenal and BATE Borisov. The two draws with BATE Borisov is what have cost Red Star Belgrade the potential of topping the group. Red Star Belgrade have failed to win any of their last 3 Europa League games have scored just 2 goals in their 5 games.
Cologne Form
The win against Arsenal in their previous match has given Koln some hope of progressing to the knockout stages of the Europa League this season.
Half way through the group, Koln looked destined to finish bottom of the group having lost all 3 of their matches. However, a good 5-2 home win over BATE Borisov kick-started their campaign and the win over Arsenal quickly followed. Koln have been exciting to watch in the Europa League this season, scoring and conceding 7 goals but are yet to win an away match in this competition or the Bundesliga.
Team News
Red Star Belgrade have doubts over the fitness of Nemanja Radonjic and Ricardinho but Aleksandar Pesic and Richmond Boakye are expected to start in attack. Koln have severe injury problems ahead of this game and will be missing many players including Leonardo Bittencourt, Jhon Cordoba, Jonas Hector, Dominique Heintz, Marco Hoger, Marcel Risse and Simon Zoller.
Top Betting Tips
While Red Star Belgrade have only scored 2 goals in the group, they have been very good defensively, conceding only 2 in their 5 games. They will hope to keep things tight in this match and under 2.5 goals is 4/6 with Ladbrokes. While Koln have got themselves back in the group with recent home wins, their away form has been poor and Red Star Belgrade will fancy their chances of winning maximum points. Red Star Belgrade to win is 11/10 with Ladbrokes. Other than Nemanja Radonjic, who looks set to miss this game, only Richmond Boakye has found the back of the net for Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League this season. You can get 6/4 with Ladbrokes for Boakye to score at any time.