Red Star were founded in 1945 and remain one of Serbia’s established football institutions, playing at Stadion Rajko Mitić. Their scale is plain enough: a 33-man squad with an average age of 26, and a market value of around £86.5m according to Transfermarkt.
Their attacking output was spread across a familiar core. Aleksandar Katai led the scoring with 25 goals, followed by Bruno 'Bruno Duarte' Duarte da Silva on 16, Mirko Ivanić on 15 and Vasilije Kostov on 13. Marko Arnautović added nine, giving them several credible routes to goal rather than one obvious dependency.
Their late league form was less convincing. Red Star ended with home defeats to OFK Beograd and Novi Pazar, a goalless draw at Radnik Surdulica, and a 2-2 draw at Železničar Pančevo. There was still a 3-0 win over Partizan in that run, but the wider pattern was uneven rather than authoritative.
For Celtic supporters, Red Star profile as a serious and experienced Serbian side: sizeable squad, proven scorers, significant home venue, but with recent results that showed some vulnerability.
