Bayern Munich vs D. Zagreb prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-09-16 19:00.
[p]After scoring 11 goals across their perfect three-game Bundesliga start, Bayern Munich now enter their 17th consecutive UEFA Champions League season with dreams of continental glory. Reaching the semi-final last time around, the Bavarians will expect to progress from the league phase, although with games against the likes of Barcelona and PSG on the horizon, this opener against Dinamo Zagreb is probably the start they would have wanted. [/p]
[p]Unsurprisingly, Bayern qualified for the knockout rounds in each of their 16 prior tournament appearances, with the 2015/16 edition even seeing them put seven unanswered goals past Dinamo in the group stage under Pep Guardiola. Now led by one of his former players, Vincent Kompany, Bayern should be good value for a strong start here given that only PSG have beaten them across their last 25 Champions League home games (W20, D4). [/p]
[p]In stark contrast to their imperious hosts, Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb enter their first Champions League proper campaign since crashing out of the group stage in 2022/23 with tempered expectations, given that they have a mere 13% win-rate in Europe’s premier club competition. None of the seven UCL wins they’ve managed came against German opponents, who they’re yet to beat in European competition outside of the old Inter Cities Fairs Cup (D2, L10).[/p]
[p]That record includes six consecutive defeats, the last three of which came ‘to nil’. Despite that, Dinamo may travel with cautious optimism considering that they’ve won as many European away games across their last three (W2, L1), as they did in their ten trips prior (W2, D1, L7). Curiously, all four of those aforementioned victories have come since the start of last season and without reply, meaning that Dinamo may need another defensive masterclass here. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: 2023/24 European Golden boot winner Harry Kane has begun this season in similar fashion with five goals across his last two games, including his fifth hat-trick since joining Bayern at the weekend. For Dinamo, Marko Pjaca scored first-half openers in both legs of their Champions League qualification play-off, meaning his last four strikes for the club have served to open the scoring. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Dinamo Zagreb have scored at least once in 12 of their last 15 Champions League away games. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Matthew Billon[/i][/p]