Hapoel Be'er Sheva face the biggest examination of their European summer on Tuesday evening, opening the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round against Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade in a first leg staged, as has become customary for the club's home European fixtures, in Hungary rather than the Negev.
Kick-off at the Haladás Sportkomplexum in Szombathely is set for 20:30 Israel time, with roughly 250 travelling Beersheba supporters set to be outnumbered by an estimated 400 Red Star fans making the trip from Belgrade.
"We all know this task is the hardest there is, but football is football," the club said in comments carried by ONE. "If we come with madness in our eyes and tactical discipline, we can narrow the gaps."
Manager Ran Kojok struck a similar note in his own remarks, framing the tie as a chance for his players to punch above their financial and experiential disadvantage. "This is the beauty of football — big gaps narrow in the face of heart and soul," he said, according to the report.
The gap in resources and continental pedigree is real. Red Star arrive on the back of a 9-0 aggregate demolition of Northern Ireland's Larne in the second qualifying round and have won four straight matches, making them clear favourites to advance to the play-off round.
Beersheba's route here was far less serene. They lost the first leg of their second-round tie 2-1 away to Iceland's Víkingur Reykjavík before rallying for a 2-0 win in the return fixture — also played in Hungary — to progress 3-2 on aggregate. ONE noted that victory snapped a three-match losing run and was only the team's first win in five matches, leaving lingering questions over their current form after a difficult stretch since clinching the Israeli title in May.
Kojok has yet to settle on his midfield selection, weighing up Eliel Peretz against Mohammed "Hamoudi" Kna'an as he looks to fill the creative void left by Kings Kangwa, who departed for Panathinaikos during the close season. A final call is expected close to kick-off.
In defence, Itay Rotman is set to partner captain Miguel Vitor at centre-back, with Jibril Diouf making way, per ONE's report.
Whatever happens over the two legs against Red Star, Beersheba have already secured continental football beyond this tie: ONE has separately reported that the club has locked in a place in next season's Conference League league phase, guaranteeing a "European winter" and revenue of at least €3.3 million even if they fall short of the Champions League play-off round.
The return leg in Belgrade is scheduled for next week, with Red Star needing to protect their status as one of the favourites to reach the Champions League league phase outright.
