SM
Arsenal vs. Chelsea: 1 hr 2 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
MC
Champions League | Group Stage
Oct 1, 2019 at 8pm UK
 
DZ

2-0

Sterling (66'), Foden (95')
FT(HT: 0-0)

In Focus: Manchester City's Champions League opponents Dinamo Zagreb

:Headline: In Focus: Manchester City's Champions League opponents Dinamo Zagreb: ID:373443: from db_amp
The Croatian champions made a flying start against Atalanta.

Manchester City's latest Champions League campaign continues as they host Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

Here, the PA news agency looks at what lies ahead for the Premier League winners in the Group C encounter.

No previous meetings

  • P11 W1 D2 L8 F8 A24

Dinamo are new opponents to City, who have never played a Croatian side in any European competition. England is not unfamiliar to them, however. They have twice faced Arsenal in the Champions League group stages, in 2006 and 2015, as well as Manchester United in 1999 and Newcastle in 1997. There have also been UEFA Cup meetings with Fulham and Tottenham. But their record is poor. Of their 11 games against English opposition, they have won just once – against Arsenal four years ago – and lost eight times.

Off to a good start

Dinamo are playing in the Champions League for a seventh time overall and a fifth in nine seasons. They reached the group stage with qualifying victories over Saburtalo, Ferencvaros and Rosenborg. They then saw off Atalanta 4-0 in their group opener, thanks largely to a hat-trick from Mislav Orsic. That victory ended a run of 11 successive group stage defeats for the club. They lost all six of their group games in their most recent appearance at this level, in 2016-17.

League champions

The 2018-19 season was another brilliant one for Dinamo on the home front as they won their 13th Croatian league title in 14 seasons. They also reached the last 16 of the Europa League. They have made a strong start to the current campaign, losing just two of their first 17 games in all competitions. They are second in the Croatian table, a point behind leaders Hadjuk Split with a game in hand. They travel to Manchester on the back of a 4-0 win over Lokomotiva Zagreb last Friday.

Coaching pedigree

Dinamo coach Nenad Bjelica, 48, is a recognisable name on the European circuit. A former Croatia international who played for his country at Euro 2004, Bjelica had spells in Spain, Germany and Austria during his career. He moved into coaching with Austrian side Karnten in 2007 and later led Austria Vienna to the Champions League group stages. He also managed clubs in Poland and Italy before taking over at Dinamo in May 2018.

Underdogs

“If we didn't believe in miracles, we wouldn't be travelling to England.”
- Mislav Orsic

City will be clear favourites but, after opening their campaign positively, Dinamo are determined to do more than make up the numbers. Croatia international Orsic, who has scored five goals in his last four matches, said: "If we didn't believe in miracles, we wouldn't be travelling to England. Whoever loves football loves watching Man City – they have brought a new perfection to football – but, despite their quality, they are not from another planet."

amp_article__373443 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-09-30 15:55:18:
html db last update - 2021-02-28 11:59:33 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal33235577265174
2Liverpool33228375324374
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle321551269521750
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd32155124748-150
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea31138106152947
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves33127144653-743
12Fulham34126165054-442
13Bournemouth33119134860-1242
14Crystal Palace3399154256-1436
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton33108153448-1430
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3337233188-5716
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .