The second leg of UEFA Champions League 2021 qualifications finals between Dinamo Zagreb and Sheriff Tiraspol is slated for Wednesday, August 25, at 21:00 CEST. The match will be played at Stadion Maksimir, the home stadium of Dinamo Zagreb, who will count on home ground advantage to help them overcome the three-goal deficit from the first leg.
Dinamo Zagreb vs Sheriff Tiraspol
When: Wednesday, August 25 – 21:00 CEST
Where: Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb, Croatia
Weather: Clear, 16°C
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Dinamo Zagreb completely fell apart in the first leg in Tiraspol, where they lost 0-3. Now, they’re three goals down, which is a massive deficit to overcome. Still, they have the luxury of playing the second leg at home, where Dinamo Zagreb usually perform well.
Will the home-ground advantage and the support from the fans be enough for the 22-time domestic champions to overcome the enormous obstacle is anyone’s guess, but we can be sure that the Croatian side will be ready to take on the challenge!
Dinamo Zagreb With A Huge Task Ahead Of Them
Despite the less-than-inspiring result from the first leg, Dinamo Zagreb are not to be overlooked. They might have disappointed last time out, but this is still a solid squad with excellent players.
We expect coach Damir Krznar to use a similar roster to what we have seen in Tiraspol, meaning Mislav Orsic, Bruno Petkovic, and Luka Ivanusec will lead the attack with Amer Gojak. In the back, Bartol Franjic could be replaced by Francois Moubandje, who started in Tiraspol. Still, Franjic will likely feature as a replacement for Kevin Theophile-Catherine, who had a disastrous showing in the first leg.
Dinamo Zagreb enter this match with a 3-1-1 record from their last five and 6-2-2 in their last 10. In their last five, Dinamo Zagreb faced Legia (1-0, 1-1), Gorica (1-0), Lokomotiva Zagreb (1-0), and Sheriff Tiraspol (0-3). Before their loss against Sheriff, Dinamo were undefeated in seven straight games (5-2-0).
Sheriff Tiraspol Well-Rested
Sheriff Tiraspol have not played a single match since their thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb last week, so they should be well-rested for todays’ game. Whats’s more, the Moldovian champions have only one new injury concern to deal with.
Left-Back Keston Julien is the only player who will likely miss today’s match after he has suffered a hamstring injury in the reverse fixture. If Julien doesn’t feature, he will get replaced by Fernando Costanza.
Besides Julien, Sheriff will also be without midfielder Moussa Kyabou. Outside of that, Yuriy Vernydub doesn’t have any concerns to deal with. We expect Sheriff to use the same 4-2-3-1 formation with Henrique Luvannor in front.
Sheriff Tiraspol are undefeated in their last nine games, which includes eight wins and only one draw, against Crvena Zvezda (1-1) in the UEFA Champions League qualifications semi-finals. Since that draw, Sheriff won against Dinamo-Auto (7-1), Crvena Zvezda (1-0), and Dinamo Zagreb (3-0).
Dinamo Zagreb vs Sheriff Tiraspol Betting Pick
Even though Sheriff Tiraspol delivered last time out, that doesn’t guarantee them the same success in the second leg. They were the better team last week, but it mostly had to do with Dinamo Zagreb underperforming.
The hosts have an exceptional squad who shouldn’t be losing against the likes of Sheriff Tiraspol, and the added motivation to deliver on home soil should result in better showings from the Croatian squad. They have dealt with stronger teams than Sheriff Tiraspol before, and with the talent they have, Dinamo can definitely overcome the three-goal deficit.
Prediction: Dinamo Zagreb -1.25 AH – 2.01 at Betfair, 2.00 at Pinnacle
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