The Daily Star Ireland
Dinamo Zagreb’s recent 0-3 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund ended their three-match unbeaten run in the Champions League, following a heavy 9-2 loss to Bayern Munich in their opening game of the competition. Despite these setbacks, the Croatian team showed resilience, earning a 2-2 draw with Monaco and securing back-to-back wins against Salzburg (0-2) and Slovan Bratislava (1-4). However, their home form has been concerning, as evidenced by a 0-0 draw with Rijeka and a 2-4 loss to Osijek in the domestic league. Dinamo will be looking to snap a four-match winless streak at home when they face Slaven Belupo in their next league fixture.
Celtic, currently in 20th place with 8 points, has had an eventful Champions League campaign. Despite a crushing 7-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund, they rebounded with impressive results, including a 5-1 win over Slovan Bratislava, a 0-0 draw with Atalanta, and a 3-1 victory over RB Leipzig at home. They also managed a 1-1 draw with Club Bruges. Since the Dortmund defeat, Celtic has gone unbeaten in all competitions, with 8 wins and 3 draws. In the Scottish Premiership, they have recently played matches against Ross County, Aberdeen, and Hibernian.
Dinamo Zagreb faces several injury concerns ahead of this match, with key players such as midfielders Ademi and Misic, goalkeeper Nevistic, striker Petkovic, and international player Sucic unavailable. Kulenovic, who has been in excellent form, is expected to lead the attack, having scored 8 goals in the league and 3 in the Champions League. New signing Raul Torrente, brought in from Granada, has become a key figure in defense alongside Theophile-Caterine. Holm will also miss the match due to injury.
For Celtic, the only notable absentee is Holm. Meanwhile, key players such as Maeda, who scored against Club Bruges, along with Carters-Vickers, Engels, Kuhn, McGregor, and Johnston, are expected to feature.
Prediction
With Celtic’s strong recent form, particularly in the Champions League, and Dinamo Zagreb’s struggles, it is likely that Celtic will come away with a 3-0 victory.
