D. Zagreb vs Dortmund prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-11-26 20:00.
[p]Since being thumped 9-2 by Bayern Munich on matchday one, Dinamo Zagreb have caused some surprise results in the UEFA Champions League (UCL), with their back-to-back victories against Slovan Bratislava and Salzburg respectively matching the two wins from their prior 25 UCL outings (D4, L19). Dinamo will now look to make it three in a row in the UCL for the first time ever, though a pair of domestic draws as favourites may have dented confidence somewhat.[/p]
[p]Head coach Nenad Bjelica hailed a 2-2 draw with Monaco in their last UCL home fixture as “a victory, even though it’s not worth three points” and he’ll be hoping that his team continue to overperform in the UCL in spite of indifferent domestic home form. Dinamo have won one of their last five home games across all competitions (D2, L2), which is far from ideal preparation as they seek to end a seven-game losing streak against German opposition. [/p]
[p]Borussia Dortmund will head to Croatia for the first time in Europe looking to end their rotten run of away form. Since beating Club Brugge on matchday one, the Black and Yellows lost six consecutive away games across all competitions, conceding exactly five times on two occasions in that run, including their most recent UCL trip to holders Real Madrid.[/p]
[p]Dortmund’s home form has carried them through however, winning both their UCL games at Signal Iduna Park, while they also cruised to a 4-0 win over Freiburg on Saturday. Nuri Sahin’s men could be lacking firepower here however, as Serhou Guirassy was ruled out of their weekend clash with illness, and it remains to be seen whether he plays here, where Dortmund will seek to build some momentum before hosting rivals Bayern Munich at the weekend.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Dario Špikić scored in two of his last three appearances, and Dinamo have now avoided defeat in each of the last 21 games he’s scored in (W18, D3). Maximilian Beier is in excellent form also, scoring in each of his last three games for club and country when completing the full 90 minutes. [/p]
[p]Hot streak: Dortmund have won their last six UCL matches against any opposition other than Real Madrid. Â [/p]
[p][i]Written by Aaron Murphy[/i][/p]