There isn’t long to go before Celtic begin their Europa League campaign against Red Star Belgrade.
The Hoops are competing in Europe’s second tier competition after losing in the Champions League play-offs.
Celtic have been handed some tough fixtures, which will include some old faces as Vasilis Barkas and Gustaf Lagerbielke return to Parkhead.
This campaign starts off with a trip to Serbia to face Red Star Belgrade, who have a proud history of being one of the biggest clubs in the Balkans, as well as former European Cup winners.
With that, here are five facts to know about Red Star Belgrade.
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Red Star Belgrade are supported by huge sports stars
As the biggest club in Serbia, as well as former Yugoslavia, there are plenty of A-list sports stars that support the Crveno-Beli.
Denver Nuggets and NBA star Nikola Jokic is a well known fan of the club, as is tennis legend Novak Djokovic.
He can often be found at the club’s home games when he isn’t winning Grand Slams around the globe and is treated like royalty when in attendance.
Why is Red Star Belgrade’s stadium called the Marakana?
The stadium is traditionally known as the Rajko Mitic Stadium, which can hold up to 51,755 fans.
It was renamed in December 2014 to pay homage to the club legend, however, it is more commonly known as the ‘Marakana’.
This is because the bowl-like shape of the stadium is similar to the famous Maracana stadium in Brazil.
Why are Red Star Belgrade known as Crvenza Zvezda?
To put it simply, ‘Crvena Zvezda’ is Red Star written in Serbian.
English-speaking media use it to differentiate from other teams, such as their big rivals Partizan.
The full name of the club is Fudbalski klub Crvena Zvezda.
Red Star Belgrade have rare European history
Like Celtic, Red Star are also former European Cup champions. Their success came more recently, beating Marseille in the 1991 final. They won the European Cup and Intercontinental Cup.
During a poll in 2008, 48 per cent of Serbians said that they support Red Star Belgrade – who were also the most successful club in Yugoslavia.
Red Star earned shock victory against Liverpool in 2018
While Red Star challenged with Europe’s elites in the 90’s, they’re very much an underdog in this current edition of the Champions League.
One of their most famous victories came in December 2017, where they were able to beat Liverpool 2-0.
A brace from striker Milan Pavkov proved to be the difference on an explosive night in Belgrade.
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