Red Star remain the reference point in Serbia, a club founded in 1945 and still built around the scale of Stadion Rajko Mitić. For Celtic supporters, they are a familiar type of European opponent: domestic authority, sizeable crowd, and enough continental mileage to make any tie awkward rather than exotic.
This season they sit first in the SuperLiga, with recent league form showing five wins and a draw from their last six. The 2-1 win over Partizan sits neatly inside that run, followed by controlled victories over IMT, Železničar Pančevo and Radnički Niš.
The squad is substantial: 38 players, an average age of 26, and a market value of around £86.5m according to Transfermarkt. Mirko Ivanić and Vasilije Kostov lead the scoring with five goals each, with Marko Arnautović, Bruno Duarte da Silva and Aleksandar Katai all on three.
Their European campaign has taken in Europa League play-off qualifying, the Champions League third qualifying round and the Conference League league phase. Red Star’s current standing is clear enough: top domestically, deep enough in squad terms, and relevant to Celtic as a serious, established European opponent.
