Crvena zvezda vs Barcelona predictions: Red-hot Raphinha to star again
- Raphinha has 11 goals for Barcelona this season, including four in the Champions League
- Barca have won two of their first three games in revamped competition
- Recommended bet: Raphinha to score at any time
Barcelona are expected to move on to nine points and stay firmly on course for a coveted top-eight place by beating Crvena zvezda in Belgrade on Wednesday.
Barca quickly got over the disappointment of losing 2-1 to Monaco in their Champions League opener by hammering Young Boys 5-0 on Matchday Two.
They then managed a hugely impressive 4-1 win over Bayern Munich to suggest they are genuine contenders for glory in the competition this season.
Team news
Peter Olayinka and Ognjen Mimovic are both set to miss out again for the hosts due to injury, while Omri Glazer is rated as a major doubt.
The visitors have several players on the long-term injured list, including Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal, Ronald Araujo and Ferran Torres, while Eric Garcia is also set to remain on the sidelines for Wednesday's clash.
The stats
Barca are 10th in the Champions League table going into Matchday Four with six points on the board so far.
Crvena zvezda are down in 33rd place in the 36-team list following defeats against Monaco, Inter Milan and Benfica.
Barcelona have won 11 of their 12 LaLiga games this season, most recently beating city rivals Espanyol 3-1 on Sunday to go nine points clear at the top.
Crvena zvezda are top in Serbia after winning 12 of their 13 league games this season. They were 3-0 victors over Vojvodina at home on Sunday.
The two teams have met four times previously in European competition, but not since the second round of the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup in the 1996-97 season.
Barca have the better of the head-to-head record, winning three of the meetings with the other ending in a draw.
Prediction
Barca should ease to a comfortable victory in Belgrade to maintain their impressive form overall this season, while condemning Crvena zvezda to another defeat in the process.
The two teams' contrasting results in the competition so far suggest Barca will be one of the automatic last-16 qualifiers who finish in the top eight, while Crvena zvezda are heading for an early exit.
With little value to be had in backing an away win, instead selecting Raphinha to score at any time could be the way to go.
The winger has been outstanding this season, scoring 11 goals in all competitions, with four of them coming in the Champions League.
He ran Bayern Munich ragged, netting a hat-trick in the 4-1 victory last month and then scored the fourth in the El Clasico rout of Real Madrid that followed.
Raphinha was also on target in Sunday's LaLiga win over Espanyol so heads into Wednesday's Euro clash in red hot form.
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