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November 4 2024, 00:23 · Alex Lawes

Slovan Bratislava vs Dinamo Zagreb Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 UEFA Champions League | League Phase

Slovan Bratislava vs Dinamo Zagreb Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 UEFA Champions League | League Phase
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Slovakian champions Slovan Bratislava have had a really difficult start to the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League league phase as they now face Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb, who are once again underperforming domestically.

KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Tuesday 5th November, 2024 - UK – 5:45pm / US ET – 12:45pm / US PT – 9:45am

HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TNT Sports / US – Not televised

HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – Discovery+ / US – Paramount+

SLOVAN BRATISLAVA PREVIEW: AVOIDING A HAMMERING

Slovan Bratislava have already perhaps overperformed any pre-season expectations by even qualifying for the league phase of the UEFA Champions League. Coached by the experienced Vladimir Weiss, though, the Slovaks have endured a really difficult time of it as they languish down at the bottom end of the 36-team table.

They began their season with a 5-1 hammering in Glasgow at Celtic Park against Celtic before then being beaten 4-0 by English champions Manchester City at the beginning of last month. Those defeats were then followed up by a 2-0 defeat in Catalonia against a struggling Girona side a couple of weeks ago. 

DINAMO ZAGREB PREVIEW: FINDING FORM

Last season, Dinamo Zagreb managed to win their 16th successive Croatian title but they needed Rijeka to collapse and lose their final four matches of the campaign with Dinamo winning their final four and pipping Rijeka to the title on the final day of the season. They are once again struggling in Croatia where they sit third at present.

In the UEFA Champions League, they started their campaign with a 9-2 annihilation at the hands of Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena before they then managed to earn a shock 2-2 draw against Monaco at the Maksimir. Their most recent outing in Europe saw them pull off an impressive 2-0 victory over Red Bull Salzburg.

SLOVAN BRATISLAVA TEAM NEWS: FULLY FIT AND AVAILABLE

Vladimir Weiss the manager is reportedly blessed with a fully fit and available squad with no injury concerns or suspension issues so they can name an unchanged eleven here.

They do have quite a limited squad in terms of quality, though, with an over-reliance on veteran Vladimir Weiss the player, formerly of Bolton Wanderers, Manchester City and Rangers. 

PREDICTED XI (3-4-2-1): Takac; Bajric, Kashia, Wimmer; Blackman, Ihnatenko, Savvidis, Sharani; Barseghyan, Tolic; Strelec

UNAVAILABLE: 

QUESTIONABLE: 

DINAMO ZAGREB TEAM NEWS: NO PETKOVIC

A lot of Dinamo Zagreb’s play, and the Croatian national team for that matter, goes through striker Bruno Petkovic but the experienced target man is out injured.

He is joined on the sidelines by first choice goalkeeper Ivan Nevistic, who is now dealing with a calf injury ahead of their trip to Bratislava this week. 

PREDICTED XI (3-5-1-1): Zagorac; Theophile-Catherine, Bernauer, Torrente; Ristovski, Sucic, Misic, Ademi, Ogiwara; Baturina; Kulenovic

UNAVAILABLE: Nevistic (Injured), Petkovic (Injured)

QUESTIONABLE: 

KEY STATS

  • This is Slovan Bratislava’s first UEFA competition match against a Croatian team since they faced Dinamo in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup first round (0-3 h, 1-1 a).
  • Slovan Bratislava have lost only two of their last 11 matches at home in all competitions (W8 D1).
  • Slovan Bratislava have lost their previous three matches in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League this season.
  • Dinamo are unbeaten in their previous four UEFA competition matches against Slovan Bratislava (W2 D2).
  • Dinamo are unbeaten in their previous six UEFA competition matches against Slovakian teams (W4 D2).
  • Dinamo have lost only two of their last 11 UEFA competition matches (W7 D2).
  • Dinamo have kept seven clean sheets in their last 11 UEFA competition matches.
  • Dinamo have scored two or more goals in each of their last five UEFA competition matches.
  • Dinamo are aiming to win successive matches in the UEFA Champions League competition proper for only the second time. They previously did so in the 1998/99 group stage when they won consecutive games against Porto and Ajax.

SLOVAN BRATISLAVA VS DINAMO ZAGREB PREDICTION

These are two of the so-called ‘minnows’ of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League and it is expected both finish within the bottom 12 and are eliminated in late-January. However, Dinamo’s victory against Salzburg has given them hope of inching up the table and it is a performance and result that is seemingly beyond their upcoming opposition which should put into perspective a bit of a gulf between these two – even if they are both expected to finish down towards the bottom. 

SLOVAN BRATISLAVA VS DINAMO ZAGREB TIP: DOUBLE CHANCE – DINAMO ZAGREB TO WIN OR DRAW