Red Star Belgrade Suffer Injury Blow Ahead of Champions League Trip to Liverpool

Red Star Belgrade have suffered yet another major blow after Marko Marin joined an ever-growing injury list ahead of their Champions League tie against

Red Star Belgrade have suffered yet another major blow after Marko Marin joined an ever-growing injury list ahead of their Champions League tie against Liverpool.

The former Chelsea man joined the Serbian outfit from Olympiacos this summer, and has failed to recover from the injury which forced him to sit out their 3-1 victory over Rad Beograd on Saturday and therefore hasn't travelled to Merseyside.

Srdjan Stevanovic/GettyImages

Red Star manager Vladan Milojevic is also without on-loan Bordeaux midfielder Jonathan Cafu and left-back Milan Rodic for Wednesday night's Group C contest at Anfield.

Although Cafu would've been unlikely to start, the absence of both Marin and Rodic creates an even bigger selection headache for Milojevic, who also has concerns over centre-back Vujadin Savic.

It is a problem that the Red Star boss could've done without, yet Crveno-beli must pit their wits against a strong Liverpool side in what will be a special tie as the two sides meet for the first time in 45 years.

It’s been 45 years since Red Star Belgrade visited Anfield. Back in 1973 they taught Shankly’s side a lesson and that proved to be the catalyst for an era of #LFC domination in Europe.https://t.co/Er7hLF5yTH

— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) October 22, 2018

Red Star have returned to the Champions League after a 26-year absence, and currently have one point in Group C after clinching a hard earned point at home to Napoli before receiving a 6-1 drubbing by Paris Saint-Germain.

Red Star striker El Fardou Ben Nabouhane, thankfully known as simply Ben, will need to keep his emotions in check as Wednesday night marks the realisation of a lifelong ambition when he walks out at Anfield.

"I was a Liverpool fan as a kid, dreamed of playing at Anfield, but I’m a professional football player and I’ll be focused," Ben told the Liverpool Echo.

"This match is coming after a hard loss in Paris and we have to play with much more confidence than there. Liverpool are one of the best teams in the world, especially in home games."