Crvena zvezda v Tottenham facts

Crvena zvezda will attempt to recover from a heavy defeat at Tottenham as the teams meet again in Belgrade, where the Serbian champions can draw inspiration from a famous win against English opposition in last season's group stage.

• Spurs were 5-0 winners in north London on Matchday 3, Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane both scoring twice and Erik Lamela getting the other as Crvena zvezda made it five away defeats from five matches in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Mauricio Pochettino's side therefore climbed above their opponents on to four points, one above Crvena zvezda and three ahead of bottom side Olympiacos, with Bayern München five points clear in the Group B standings having won all three matches.

Previous meetings
• Both sides won their home games when the teams met in the 1972/73 UEFA Cup third round, Spurs – who in the previous round had beaten Olympiacos – going through 2-1 on aggregate.

• Goals from Martin Chivers and Alan Gilzean gave the English club a 2-0 first-leg win at White Hart Lane; that proved enough to progress despite Vojin Lazarević's strike in Belgrade.

Form guide
Crvena zvezda
• Having conceded twice in the final ten minutes at Bayern on Matchday 1 to lose 3-0, Crvena zvezda were facing another defeat when Olympiacos led 1-0 at half-time in Belgrade on Matchday 2, but second-half strikes from Miloš Vulić, Nemanja Milunović and Richmond Boakye secured a 3-1 win.

• In 2018/19 the Belgrade club reached the group stage from the first qualifying round and went on to finish fourth in their group, although they did claim a first UEFA ChampionsLeague group stage win for Serbia with a 2-0 home defeat of eventual champions Liverpool on Matchday 4, Milan Pavkov scoring both goals. They also held Napoli 0-0 at home on their Matchday 1 debut, although their last home fixture in the section was a 4-1 loss against Paris.

• This season, Vladan Milojević's side again started their European campaign in the first qualifying round, where they were 2-1 aggregate winners against Sūduva of Lithuania (0-0 a, 2-1 h). They subsequently came through tight ties against HJK Helsinki (2-0 h, 1-2 a) and Copenhagen (1-1 h, 1-1 a, 7-6 pens) before beating Young Boys on away goals in the play-offs (2-2 a, 1-1 h).

• Crvena zvezda have won only four of their last 19 European fixtures (D8 L7) although the 4-1 defeat at home to Paris on Matchday 6 of last season's UEFA Champions League is their only reverse in 14 UEFA matches in Belgrade (W7 D6). They have lost only two of their last 21 European home matches (W11 D8).

• Crvena zvezda were unbeaten in their first seven home games against English opposition (W5 D2), but had lost two in a row before beating Liverpool last season. Home and away, they have lost five of their last nine matches against English clubs (W2 D2).

• European champions in 1991, Crvena zvezda claimed their second successive Serbian league title in 2018/19 and a 30th national championship overall.

Tottenham
• Having let slip a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Olympiacos in their opening game, Spurs then suffered a 7-2 loss to Bayern – the first time in the club's 137-year history that they had conceded seven goals at home in any competition and the first time an English club had conceded seven goals in a European match since Tottenham themselves lost 8-0 at Köln in the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup.

• In last season's UEFA Champions League, Pochettino's team recovered from taking one point from their first three games to finish second in Group B behind Barcelona, ahead of Internazionale and PSV Eindhoven, via a 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou on Matchday 6. Borussia Dortmund were then brushed aside in the round of 16 (3-0 h, 1-0 a) before dramatic away-goal victories against both Manchester City (1-0 h, 3-4 a) and Ajax (0-1 h, 3-2 a) took Spurs into a first European Cup final. Premier League rivals Liverpool proved too strong at the Estadio Metropolitano, however, running out 2-0 winners.

• Spurs' record in last season's competition was W6 D2 L5. They lost three of their last four matches, with the success at Ajax in the semi-final second leg their only victory in six UEFA Champions League games before beating Crvena zvezda this season.

• Fourth in the 2018/19 Premier League, this is Tottenham's fifth UEFA Champions League campaign, and a fourth successive group stage appearance.

• The Lilywhites picked up only two points on their travels in the 2018/19 group stage, and have won only three of their 13 away group matches in the UEFA Champions League – and one of the last six.

• The second-leg victory at Ajax in last season's semi-final was only Spurs' sixth win in their last 22 European away matches (D8 L8).

• Tottenham's most recent trip to Serbia, their third, brought a goalless draw at Crvena zvezda's Belgrade rivals Partizan in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League group stage. That second-leg loss to Crvena zvezda in 1972 is their only defeat in seven matches against Serbian clubs, home and away (W5 D1).

Links and trivia
• Have played in England:
Rajiv van La Parra (Wolves 2014–16, Brighton 2016 (loan), Huddersfield 2016–19, Middlesbrough 2019 (loan))
José Cañas (Swansea 2013/14)
Marko Marin (Chelsea 2012/13)

• Have played together:
Ben Davies & José Cañas (Swansea 2013/14)

Latest news

Crvena zvezda
• Crvena zvezda have won 13 of their 14 league matches this season, triumphing 2-0 at Proleter on Saturday.

• Their 11-match winning run in the Serbian Super League, including the first six this season, was ended by a 2-0 loss at Partizan in the Belgrade derby on 22 September. The Belgrade club had suffered only one defeat in their previous 69 league outings, a 3-2 loss at Čukarički on 20 April this year. Their record otherwise was W62 D6 before the loss at Partizan.

• Crvena zvezda have scored two or more goals in 12 of their other 13 league matches in 2019/20; the exception was a 1-0 success at Napredak on 6 October.

• Crvena zvezda have scored 28 goals in their last eight domestic games.

• Crvena zvezda have won nine of their last ten matches in all competitions, the exception the Matchday 3 loss at Tottenham. They have scored 31 goals in that sequence and conceded ten – five of them at Spurs.

• 'Red Star' were 8-0 winners away to fourth division Trepča in the Serbian Cup first round on 10 October, Veljko Simić scoring four times – more than in his previous 26 appearances for the club combined.

• Crvena zvezda will play Mačva in the second round of the Serbian Cup.

• Richmond Boakye had been out since 15 October due to a calf injury before returning with a goal at Novi Sad on Saturday.

• Milan Rodić suffered a muscle injury on 26 October, returning on Saturday.

• Goalkeeper Milan Borjan was also back in action at the weekend having not played since Matchday 3 due to injury.

• Matchday 3 marked Vladan Milojević's 40th European match in charge of Crvena zvezda, extending his own Serbian record.

Tottenham
• Matchday 3 is Tottenham's only win in their last six matches in all competitions (D2 L3); they went down 2-1 at Liverpool on 27 October and have conceded 14 goals in that sequence, although they have scored ten themselves.

• On Sunday Spurs conceded eight minutes into added time to draw 1-1 at Everton. Dele Alli had given the visitors the lead with his second goal in three Premier League matches before Heung-Min Son was sent off 11 minutes from time for a challenge on André Gomes.

• Spurs have won just three of their first 11 Premier League matches this season, all at home; their record otherwise is D4 L4.

• Away from home, Spurs' record in all competitions in 2019/20 is D5 L3; their last away victory came at Ajax in last season's UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg.

• Tottenham have picked up only 24 points from their last 23 Premier League games.

• Having shipped seven goals at home to Bayern on Matchday 2, Spurs were beaten 3-0 at Brighton on 5 October, conceding ten goals in two matches for the first time since December 1997.

• Harry Kane has 16 goals in 16 appearances for club and country this season, six of them penalties. He missed Sunday's draw at Everton through illness.

• Hugo Lloris is not expected to play again this year having dislocated his elbow at Brighton.

• Michel Vorm, who left Spurs at the end of 2018/19, rejoined as a free agent on 14 October, signing a deal until the end of the season.

• Giovani Lo Celso sustained a hip injury during Argentina's 0-0 draw in Chile on 5 September, making his return as a late substitute on Matchday 3.

• Summer signing Ryan Sessegnon made his Spurs debut as an added-time substitute at Everton after a thigh injury.

• Erik Lamela suffered a thigh injury in training on 26 October while Jan Vertonghen has been out since Matchday 3 due to a hamstring strain.