Red Star Belgrade vs Liverpool
Uefa Champions League 2018/19
Venue: Rajko Mitić Stadium
Date: Tuesday, 6 November
Kick-off: 5:55pm BST
Liverpool know another win against Red Star Belgrade will see them take a giant step towards the Champions League knockout stages.
Jurgen Klopp's side sit top of Group C after thrashing Red Star 4-0 at Anfield on Matchday 3, but travel to the Serbian capital with group rivals Napoli and PSG still breathing down their necks.
With their final two group games coming away to PSG and at home to Napoli, Liverpool cannot afford to slip up in Serbia with one top team guaranteed an early exit from the competition.
Scroll down for Standard Sport’s comprehensive preview...
Team news
Liverpool have confirmed that Xherdan Shaqiri will not be in the squad as the club look to avoid "any distractions" in the Serbian capital.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 - a move that remains the subject of dispute.
Kosovo-born Shaqiri stoked controversy regarding his heritage during a World Cup meeting between his adopted country Switzerland and Serbia this summer.
The 26-year-old, who wore boots bearing a Kosovan flag, celebrated a goal scored in a 2-1 win with an ‘eagle’ gesture - a nod to the Albanian heritage of a large number of Kosovans.
Klopp explained: "We are keen to be respectful and keen to avoid any distractions that would take focus away from a 90-minute-plus contest that is important for football and only football. So for that reason, Shaq is not involved and he accepts and understands this. Shaq is our player, we love him, and he will play for us a lot of times, but not on Tuesday."
Squad: Fabinho, Van Dijk, Wijnaldum, Lovren, Milner, Keita, Firmino, Mane, Salah, Gomez, Alisson, Sturridge, Moreno, Lallana, Mignolet, Robertson, Origi, Solanke, Matip, Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold
TV, online and live stream coverage
The match will be televised live on BT Sport 3. BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match online via the video player and the BT Sport app.
You can follow all the action with Standard Sport's LIVE match blog, with in-game analysis from David Lynch.
Tickets
For Liverpool ticket information, click here for the club’s website.
Prediction
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
- Liverpool to win 4-0: 10/1
- Red Star to win 1-0: 35/1
- Mo Salah to score first: 13/5
- 0-0 draw: 18/1
- Daniel Sturridge to score 2 or more: 7/2
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
Head to head
The two sides have met three times, including Liverpool's 4-0 Anfield win in matchday three of this season's group stages.
The teams also met back in 1973 in the European Champions Clubs' Cup, with Red Star beating Liverpool 2-1 twice to progress to the quarter-finals 4-2 on aggregate.
