Preview: Dinamo Zagreb vs. CSKA Moscow - prediction, team news, lineups

Dinamo Zagreb square off against CSKA Moscow on Thursday evening with their place in the Europa League knockout stages having already been secured.

Meanwhile, the visitors make the trip to Croatia with just three points from five matches, a record which has resulted in their early elimination from the competition.

Match preview

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In a group involving four evenly-matched clubs, few people would have expected any team to come through unbeaten, never mind having kept five clean sheets in succession.

However, Dinamo are on the verge of a rare achievement at this level of European football having already avoided conceding a goal for 450 minutes, recording three wins and two draws in the process.

Despite having the opportunity to take the foot off the gas, Zoran Mamic will want his players to extend their shutout record ahead of their appearance in the last 32.

Mamic will also want to see more goals from a side which has netted just six times in five matches, all but one of those strikes coming in their last two outings on the continent.

Lovro Majer and Bruno Petkovic have netted two goals apiece, and the contributions of the duo will be pivotal when it comes to progressing further in this competition.

While Dinamo are very much a team on the up, the same cannot be said of CSKA Moscow who would have expected to finish at the top of Group K.

Despite sitting in third spot in Russia's top flight, CSKA have gone five games without success in this competition, leaving them aiming for the consolation of third position.

Viktor Goncharenko, who is in his fifth campaign at the club, knows that he is now under increasing pressure to win the league title for the first time during his reign.

With that in mind, the 43-year-old will view this contest as an opportunity to assess the character of his players with their last win in any competition coming on November 8.

Dinamo Zagreb Europa League form: DDWWW

Dinamo Zagreb form (all competitions): WWLWWW

CSKA Moscow Europa League form: DDLDL

CSKA Moscow form (all competitions): WDDLLD

Team News

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Goncharenko could hand a rest to Nikola Vlasic, despite the Croatian playmaker returning to his homeland.

Veteran goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev may also drop out of the side, handing a debut to 17-year-old Vladislav Torop.

Mario Gavranovic is in line to take the place of Dinamo forward Petkovic, who misses this game through a one-match ban.

More alterations are expected in the final third with Bartol Franjic and Mislav Orsic likely to be handed opportunities.

Welsh youngster Robbie Burton, formerly of Arsenal, could be given his first start in the competition.

Dinamo Zagreb possible starting lineup:

Livakovic; Moharrami, Lauritsen, Theophile-Catherine, Gvardiol; Burton, Jakic; Tolic, Franjic, Orsic; Gavranovic

CSKA Moscow possible starting lineup:

Torop; Maradishvili, Diveev, Magnusson, Schennikov; Oblaykov, Akhmetov; Kuchaev, Sigurdsson, Zainutdinov; Chalov

We say: Dinamo Zagreb 1-1 CSKA Moscow

Neither manager will play a full-strength side on Thursday evening, and that could lead to an uneventful draw being played out in Croatia. Nevertheless, CSKA will be motivated to end Dinamo's run of clean sheets in this competition.

Top betting tip

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