D. Zagreb vs Betis prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2024-02-21 17:45.
Despite their historical dominance in Croatia, European success has often eluded Dinamo Zagreb. The Blues have only reached the Round of 16 of a UEFA competition twice since 1969/70, however this time around, they stand 90 minutes away from getting through to that stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) thanks to a shock 1-0 victory in the first leg of their knockout play-off against Real Betis.
Manager Sergej Jakirović described himself as “speechless” at his side’s performance in Spain last midweek, though the hosts’ recent form suggests that victory maybe shouldn’t have come as a surprise. That’s because Dinamo have now lost just one of their last 13 games across all competitions (W9, D3), including a 1-0 success against Varaždin in the league on Sunday.
Despite their slender win last Thursday, Dinamo have a fight on their hands to qualify for the next round though, given that their opponents have only lost once on their travels in European knockout football since 2007 (W3, D3). That is the kind of form that Manuel Pellegrini’s side desperately need to rekindle and quickly, as a 0-0 draw against Alavés on Sunday was their second successive scoring blank.
Due to that set of slip ups, the Green and Whites have now won only three of their last 13 matches across all competitions (D5, L5), a run of form that leaves the visitors sat in sixth place in La Liga, so their best route back to the UEFA Europa League football next season might well be through winning this competition. A silver lining for the Spanish side could come via their recent back-to-back away victories at Mallorca and Cádiz, which means that they can register three successive wins on their travels for the first time since February 2023 here.
Key battle: Dinamo Zagreb’s Bruno Petković is the UECL’s joint-top scorer this season, with five goals in four appearances (W4), including the winner in the reverse leg. Attempting to keep him at bay this time around will be Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva, who has kept just one clean sheet across his last ten European away matches (W3, D1, L6).
Hot stat: Just two of Real Betis’ last eight away games across all competitions have seen both teams score.