It’s a battle of top versus bottom as Dinamo Zagreb take on Salzburg in UEFA Champions League (UCL) Group E for the second time in six days, with the Croatians having lost the previous encounter 1-0. Sitting just two points from top spot, Zagreb coach Ante Čačić will likely be satisfied with his side’s European campaign so far, although he recently stated that his team will ‘’learn lessons’’ from the 1-0 defeat to Salzburg last week.
An open-looking table after three rounds presents Zagreb with an opportunity to progress from the group after finishing bottom in their previous UCL group-stage appearance back in 2019/20. There’s reason for more confidence in the hosts’ ranks this time around too, as they have only lost one of their last 12 (W7, D4) UEFA home matches and managed an impressive 1-0 win over former European champions Chelsea here on matchday one.
Now they’ll face stern opponents in the shape of Salzburg, who sit top of Group E despite their victory over Zagreb last week being their first of the UCL group stages. The Red Bulls followed that up with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Rheindorf Altach at the weekend, which sees them at the summit of the Austrian Bundesliga after 11 games, with coach Matthias Jaissle describing their latest triumph as an ‘’absolute battle’’.
With ties against AC Milan and Chelsea on the horizon, Salzburg will need more of that same fighting spirit if they are to put the necessary points on the board and match last season’s feat by reaching the round of 16. However, if Salzburg are to triumph here they will need to improve on a torrid UCL travelling record that has seen them win just one of their last ten away UCL proper fixtures (D3, L6), having also not kept a clean sheet in any UEFA competition away match since 2018/19!
Players to watch: Zagreb forward Mislav Oršić has found the net in three of his last four UCL appearances (inc. qualifiers), whilst Salzburg have a UCL hitman of their own in Noah Okafor with the attacker netting in each of their group stage games this campaign.
Hot stat: Salzburg have conceded more than one goal only once in their last 13 matches in all competitions.
