Arsenal will aim to book their place in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 when they face Dinamo Zagreb at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
The competition has been extended when compared to its previous format, and that means we will see its last bit of action in January. The league phase matches will conclude by the end of this month.
The Gunners have won four of their six matches and are in a strong position to finish in the top eight in the table. They will automatically qualify for the last 16 if they secure a victory against Dinamo Zagreb.
Mikel Arteta’s men were only held by Atalanta and have been beaten by Inter Milan. However, they have put in solid performances against Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting CP, and Monaco.
Team ❤️ pic.twitter.com/RtuM6et3t9
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 21, 2025
The rivals are also dreaming of a playoff berth after putting up a mixed display in this competition. They were humiliated 9-2 by Bayern Munich in the first game but have since improved their standings. This season, they are placed in the third spot in the Croatian Football League.
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Arsenal will be careful of not taking their next UCL opponents for granted since the seven-time league champions have defeated them twice in their previous four encounters.
Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb: Head to Head Record
The last meeting between both sides happened in 2015 in the Champions League. Dinamo Zagreb won the first leg by a 2-1 scoreline. However, the Gooners had the last laugh as they secured an impressive 3-0 win in the return leg, helping them move to the next round.
Let’s keep pushing ✊ pic.twitter.com/A15dTZTeol
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 21, 2025
There have been only four matches between both European heavyweights, and history has favoured them equally. We expect Arteta’s team to put the game to the sword and not let their rivals sneak out with yet another victory.
Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb Team News
Arsenal
Arsenal have to deal with some serious injury concerns, as they have been without some of their key attackers and defenders for this contest.
Full-backs Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are still sidelined. Meanwhile, William Saliba is struggling with a hamstring issue and is likely to miss out. Riccardo Calafiori is also a doubt for this clash as he is yet to recover from a muscle issue. But reports suggest that he is back in training and might make a cut.
Richy is back ahead of the Champions League tomorrow night! 🇮🇹💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/rpO0v0nv5M
— now.arsenal (@now_arsenaI) January 21, 2025
They have a compromised attack as Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka are both unavailable. Ethan Nwaneri is also injured and out of this game. We don’t expect any surprising name in the starting XI, and Arteta is likely to assemble the same squad that faced Aston Villa on Saturday. Jakub Kiwior could partner Gabriel Magalhaes at the back. Jorginho is a strong contender to start in midfield.
Dinamo Zagreb
The Croatian outfit is clearly struggling this season, and their new legendary manager, Fabio Cannavaro, has a lot of work to do. The Ballon d’Or winner has to make it without their best players, Bruno Petkovic and Petar Sucic with the latter closing in on joining Inter Milan.
Arsenal predicted lineup:
David Raya, Jurrien Timber, Jakub Kiwior, Gabriel Magalhães, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Jorginho, Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard, Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard
Dinamo Zagreb predicted lineup:
Ivan Nevistic, Stefan Ristovski, Kevin Theophile-Catherine, Samy Mmaee, Ronael Pierre-Gabriel, Arijan Ademi, Luka Stojkovic, Juan Cordoba, Martin Baturina, Marko Pjaca, Sandro Kulenovic.
Arsenal Zagreb Prediction:
We predict a comfortable victory for the home side. Zagreb have been brutally exposed by top-level opposition, and Cannavaro needs to lift his team’s spirit in order to make this game a tricky one for Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Arteta’s team have been efficient in the UCL at the Emirates with only Bayern Munich disturbing their record last season. We don’t see them any issues in grabbing yet another victory and sealing their spot in the last-16.
Our final scoreline: Arsenal 3-0 Dinamo Zagreb
