The UEFA Champions League is about to resume and it is sure to return with the same excitement as always.
One of the matches that fans are eagerly awaiting is the match between Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb and the Scottish Kings Celtic.
This season, both clubs have had similar experiences and currently they are in 15th and 16th place in the Champions League standings respectively.
Dinamo Zagreb got off to a very bad start, losing 9-2 to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. After Bayern Munich scored three goals in the first half, Croatia reduced the deficit to 3-2 within five minutes of the second half. Dinamo Zagreb seemed to have discovered something, as Bayern Munich, who had been outstanding for most of the game, began to look very mediocre.
However, Croatia’s upward momentum did not last long and they collapsed from the 57th minute onwards. The German kings showed their quality, scoring six goals in 33 minutes to finish the match 9-2.
Their second match was against French Ligue 1 club AS Monaco. Dinamo Zagreb led 2-0 until the 74th minute when Mohamed Salisu scored to make it 2-1. Denis Zakaria equalized in injury time to make it 2-2.
In the third match, the Croatian giants travelled to the Red Bull Arena Salzburg to take on the Austrian top club from Salzburg. Dinamo Zagreb got their first win; Sandro Kulenovic and Bruno Petkovic scored two goals each to help the team win 2-0.
In the previous match, Dinamo Zagreb achieved one of the biggest wins in its UEFA Champions League history, defeating the underdogs of the match, Slovan Bratislava, 4-1.
Meanwhile, Celtic experienced a similar situation to Dinamo Zagreb in this season’s UEFA Champions League. The Scottish top-flight club started extremely well, beating Slovan Bratislava 5-1 in their first match. However, in the second match, they collapsed, losing 7-1 to Borussia Dortmund.
In the third match against Atalanta at the Gerves Stadium, Celtic only managed a 0-0 draw. Celtic made a great effort to achieve this result, but they lost easily. Atalanta dominated the match, taking 22 shots, but failed to take advantage of their chances.
Celtic’s last match was against RB Leipzig in Glasgow, where the Scottish champions put in a great performance and won 3-1.
As both teams are currently tied at 7 points each, the upcoming matches could see a big difference between the two teams.
Dinamo Zagreb’s Maksimir Stadium is not like a fortress, as the team has won only two of its last five home games. Celtic, on the other hand, has won four and drawn one of its last five away games.
Although both clubs have the same points in the Champions League, Celtic are at the top of the Scottish Premier League, while Dinamo Zagreb are in third place behind Hajduk Split and Rijeka.
However, it should be remembered that Dinamo Zagreb can be very dangerous in the final third. They have already scored 30 goals in the domestic league. In the Champions League, only Bayern Munich and Barcelona have scored more goals than them, while Dinamo Zagreb has already scored 10 goals this season.
The problem for the Croatians is their defense. They have conceded the most goals of the top 34 teams in the UEFA Champions League (12). They have also conceded the most goals of the top five teams in the domestic league (17).
On the other hand, Celtic are excellent in both offense and defense of the pitch. They have scored the most goals in the Premier League (30). They have also conceded the fewest goals (3). In the Champions League, they have scored 9 goals and conceded 9 goals.
Before the game, the two teams looked evenly matched on paper based on their performances this season. However, Celtic and Dinamo Zagreb are two teams that know how to attack. In addition, this is already a crucial stage in the group stage and they want to get good results to further improve their ranking.
Tickets
This epic match will kick off at 17:45 GMT on Tuesday, 10 December 2024 at the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb.
The 35,423-capacity stadium will host the clash between two teams vying for the top spot in the group.
Given the level of this match, it may be difficult to get tickets forDinamo Zagreb vs. Celtic. Therefore, it is recommended to search for ticket resale sites if tickets may be sold out on the channels of the individual clubs.
Team News
Lineups
Ahead of the match, Dinamo Zagreb’s stadium was almost full. The only injury concerns at the moment concern Juan Cordoba and Ivan Nevestić.
Dinamo Zagreb XI : Daniel Zagorak; Takuya Ogihara, Raul Torrent, Kevin Theofil-Katherine, Stefan Ristovski; Petar Sucic, Joseph Misic, Marko Pjaca, Martin Baturina, Dario Spikic, Sandro Kulenovic.
The Scottish champions can field a strong squad for the match in Zagreb. Experienced goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel is likely to continue in goal, while Kyogo Furuhashi will continue in attack. For Celtic, Odin Thiago-Holm is the only injury concern as he has not played a significant role this season and will therefore not be absent.
Celtic XI: Kasper Schmeichel; Alistair Johnson, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trasty, Greg Taylor; Arne Engels, Callum McGregor, Leo Hatat; Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn, Dai Maeda, Keigo Furuhashi.
Prediction
As mentioned earlier, the group stage has entered a decisive phase and both clubs want to go all out. Celtic and Dinamo Zagreb are currently ranked 15th and 16th in the Champions League standings, so they must participate in the play-offs to advance to the next round. Fans are advised to purchase Dinamo Zagreb tickets as early as possible .
Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers and Dinamo Zagreb head coach Nenad Bjelica will be optimistic as they are only two points away from the top eight.
Both clubs know how to score goals, and the Maksimir Stadium has not proven itself to be a fortress this season. Therefore, Celtic should score at least one goal.
This match looks like a draw, but there will definitely be a goal.
Dinamo Zagreb – Celtic 2:2
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