Salzburg vs D. Zagreb prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-10-22 19:00.
[p]RB Salzburg are one of eight teams to have lost both of their UEFA Champions League (UCL) league phase matches so far this season and one of four sides yet to score. Heavy defeats to Sparta Prague (3-0) and Brest (4-0) were followed up by a 5-0 thrashing by Sturm Graz before they beat Rheindorf Altach 2-1 in the Austrian Bundesliga on Saturday to get back on track to some extent.[/p]
[p]It’s hardly encouraging for Salzburg that they’ve lost each of their last five UCL home fixtures – no side in this year’s competition has a worse ongoing record! They might instead look at previous meetings against Dinamo Zagreb as a source of inspiration, as they’ve won both prior European group stage H2Hs here with the latest of those acting as their last UCL home win.[/p]
[p]Dinamo made headlines for all the wrong reasons when they were beaten 9-2 by Bayern Munich in matchday one of this season’s UCL, but responded positively to draw 2-2 with Monaco to get their first point on the board. They’re on a five-match unbeaten run across all competitions (W3, D2) but are seeking a first win in eight UCL fixtures (D2, L5) – a run that stretches back to September 2022. [/p]
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[p]Losing their last two European visits to Austria by a one-goal margin, and with both prior UCL group-stage games in the country finishing 1-0, they have plenty to be wary about, although they’ve scored exactly twice in all four European away games this term (W2, D1, L1). Manager Nenad Bjelica has few happy memories of managing here too, having lost all four away H2Hs while in charge of Wolfsberger or Austria Vienna by at least three goals![/p]
[p]Players to watch: Karim KonatĂ© scored and assisted for Salzburg against Altach at the weekend with his last two goals for the club coming via headers after the 65th minute. Against Monaco, Martin Baturina became just the second Dinamo player to score and assist in the same UCL game, a trick he repeated while playing for Croatia against Poland last week – he was also booked in both fixtures.[/p]
[p]Hot streak: Salzburg have scored exactly once in each of their last three home games against Croatian opposition.[/p]
[p][i]Written by John Pennington[/i][/p]