Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Dinamo Zagrebvs.Monaco

sportsmole.co.uk, 30 September 2024, 11:40
Aiming to respond positively following their Bavarian horror show a fortnight ago, Dinamo Zagreb will welcome in-form Monaco to Stadion Maksimir on Wednesday night in the Champions League.

Plavi have a new face in the managerial hotseat after a stuttering start to the campaign, whereas Les Rouge et Blanc are threatening to seriously challenge for both domestic and continental honours this term.

Match preview

Rooted to the bottom of the 36-team table of the revamped Champions League after one gameweek, Dinamo Zagreb will be looking to put their opening match in the competition firmly behind them, with the Croatians losing 9-2 at the Allianz Arena to Bayern Munich on September 17.

After the Bavarians had raced into a three-goal lead, strikes from Bruno Petkovic and Takuya Ogiwara had Plavi back in the contest momentarily, but Vincent Kompany's troops stepped on the gas significantly in the second period, with a quartet of goals from Harry Kane representing the main talking point of the evening.

A simply unacceptable display in Bavaria cost Sergej Jakirovic his position as Dinamo Zagreb head coach, although things did not immediately improve for Wednesday's hosts, who were beaten 4-1 at the home of bottom side Slaven on September 21, a defeat arguably worse than the one suffered in Munich.

Plavi have enjoyed a positive result since then, though, smashing NK Lokomotiva 5-1 at Stadion Maksimir during Nenad Bjelica's first game in charge of the club, with the 53-year-old looking to guide Zagreb into the knockout stages of the Champions League after failing to do so with Union Berlin last season.

Winning just one of their last five matches across all competitions, Dinamo Zagreb do not possess the greatest form heading into this clash, although their record at Stadion Maksimir is pretty commendable, losing only once from five competitive games at the venue in 2024-25.

After a second-placed finish in Ligue 1 during the 2023-24 campaign - ending up nine points behind perennial winners Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco are on a mission to lift their first French crown since the 2016-17 term, and that particular quest has commenced impressively.

Les Rouge et Blanc have dropped just two points during their opening six top-flight contests this season, with an injury-time winner from midfielder Lamine Camara on the weekend ensuring that Montpellier HSC left the Stade Louis-II Stadium with nothing to show for their efforts.

Collecting 16 points from their first six Ligue 1 battles, Monaco are currently occupying second place in the top-flight rankings, behind Luis Enrique's Parisiens on goal difference, with Wednesday's visitors to Croatia well in the hunt for the French title at this early stage.

Focusing on the continental scene, Les Rouge et Blanc have also enjoyed a major success in the Champions League this campaign, beating La Liga leaders Barcelona 2-1 during gameweek one courtesy of goals either side of the half-time whistle from Maghnes Akliouche and George Ilenikhena.

With Wissam Ben Yedder leaving Monaco at the expiration of his contract over the summer, Adi Hutter has been forced to share the goalscoring burden more evenly around his ranks so far this term, with the likes of Folarin Balogun and Denis Zakaria stepping up to the plate.

Dinamo Zagreb Champions League form:

Dinamo Zagreb form (all competitions):

Monaco Champions League form:

W

Monaco form (all competitions):

W

D

W

W

W

W

Team News

Dinamo Zagreb remain without the services of Mauro Perkovic, with the 21-year-old still recovering from a knee injury sustained in August.

Plavi are also unable to call upon the talents of Dino Peric due to a knock, meaning that the hosts are restricted in terms of options in defence.

As a result, Spaniard Raul Torrente is almost certain to retain his spot in the XI from the weekend, especially after he bagged an injury-time brace.

Monaco currently have young duo Edan Diop and Radoslaw Majecki in the medical room until next month, with the pair battling against foot and ankle issues respectively.

Providing two pinpoint assists against Barcelona a fortnight ago, Vanderson will continue to shine at full-back for Les Rouge et Blanc on Wednesday night.

Dinamo Zagreb possible starting lineup:

Nevistic; Ristovski, Bernauer, Torrente, Pierre-Gabriel; Misic, Ademi, Cordoba, Baturina, Hoxha; Petkovic

Monaco possible starting lineup:

Kohn; Vanderson, Singo, Salisu, Henrique; Akilouche, Zakaria, Golovin, Ben Seghir; Balogun, Embolo

We say: Dinamo Zagreb 1-3 Monaco

Despite a morale-boosting win over a Croatian struggler over the weekend, Dinamo Zagreb are massive underdogs heading into Wednesday's clash in the Champions League.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly going to give Real Sociedad "a long and hard winter" in their pursuit of midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Embroiled in a fight against relegation to the UEFA Nations League's lowest level, Azerbaijan and Estonia will clash in Qabala on Saturday afternoon. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has reportedly emerged as a late doubt for Thursday's UEFA Nations League meeting with Greece due to a knock. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is expected to be given the all-clear for Saturday's all-important UEFA Nations League clash with Hungary in Amsterdam. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together on five points in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, the Netherlands and Hungary meet on Saturday in a winner-takes-all clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both vying for promotion to the UEFA Nations League's top tier, Albania and League B Group 1 leaders Czech Republic will lock horns on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that his club are not currently looking to bring in a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, with the striker in excellent form for the Catalan giants this season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will be eyeing a debut for the Germany national team in Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina in League A Group 3. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco is confident that the club will be able to sign Pedri to a new long-term contract. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing just a point to all but guarantee a first-placed finish in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, Germany welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Christian Eriksen has revealed that he is 'yet to hear anything' from Manchester United over his future. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As closely contested League B Group 1 nears its conclusion, promotion - and relegation - rivals Georgia and Ukraine will meet in Batumi on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making a move for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Martin Baturina during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada.