Our prediction for this Europa League match:
Crvena zvezda will be aiming to make amends for a shocking loss to Midtjylland when they host Ludogorets to their Stadion Rajko Mitic on Thursday evening. The Serbian champions face a must-win situation against the Bulgarians as they take on Group F leaders Braga on the road in their last group game. Defender Milos Degenek is banned for the match, while Marko Gobeljic should miss out with injury. Fit-again ace Aleksandar Katai will be the man to watch in the home team.
Ludogorets, on the other hand, are stuck at the bottom of the table, with the team collecting only one point in total in the process. The Bulgarians have little to play for in Wednesday’s clash, and we do not believe that they are capable of spoiling Crvena zvezda’s party in Belgrade. Wanderson remains on the sidelines with injury for the away team.
Highlighted Player (Richmond Boakye):
Richmond Boakye is a Ghana international who plays for Serbian champions Crvena Zvezda. Boakye was born in Agogo, Ghana on January 28, 1993 and 17 years later he started his senior career at Genoa. After scoring one goal in six appearances in the league for the Rossoblu, Boakye joined Sassuolo on loan in 2011. The Ghanaian attacker was producing fine performances with the Neroverdi in the Italian top flight and, as a result, Juventus owners decided to sign a contract with him.
However, he was immediately sent on loan to his former club Sassuolo where he scored 11 goals in 32 appearances in the 2012/2013 season. Boakye played for Elche, Atalanta and Latina before joining Serbian side Red Star Belgrade. The Ghana international quickly established himself as the team’s key attacker, helping the “crveno-beli” win the 2017/2018 season.
After making 15 appearances for Jiangsu Suning, he returned to Crvena Zvezda in the summer of 2018 as Vladan Milojevic’s men booked their place in the Champions League group stages. Boakye scored his first goal for Ghana on his debut against China.
Highlighted Team (Ludogorets):
Bulgarian football club PFC Ludogorets Razgrad, commonly referred to as Eagles, compete at the Ludogorets Arena with the capacity of 8,000. PFC Ludogorets Razgrad are owned by Kiril Domuschiev, who made it his personal goal to propel the club to domestic and international success and to hold up the Bulgarian flag high with nation’s biggest clubs Levski and CSKA going through turbulent times.
Having seen their stock rise astronomically since 2010, PFK Ludogorets Razgrad have become the first Bulgarian club to be features in the UEFA Champions League group stage twice. Previously, their maiden participation happened in 2014-15 season when the Bulgarian club made headlines due to notable results against FC Basel and Liverpool.
Their success on domestic scene has been equally impressive as PFC Ludogorets Razgrad remain the second team in the world to win a treble after being promoted from the second to the first league. Main force of the Bulgarian club are the Brazilian players, currently eight of them in the squad many of whom hold the Bulgarian citizenship.