Arsenal vs D. Zagreb Prediction: 22/1/2025

This team harks back to the Champions League last season from a six-year halt into an impressive, all-the-way run to the quarter-finals, having hopes of betterment this year- so far so good. Currently positioned in 3rd in the overall standings, Arsenal is leading by one point above that of 9th place.

They might have been held goalless against Atalanta, lost 1-0 to Inter; they still won against PSG 2-0, Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0, Sporting 5-1 and Monaco 3-0. Arsenal has domestic been so close to winning the premier league in the previous seasons but continues in trailing Liverpool this year. The team is sitting 2nd in the league standings, having broken a three-game winning streak with a 1-1 draw against Brighton. Coming up, they host Tottenham and Aston Villa.

Dinamo Zagreb currently sits 24th in the Champions League standings, just one point off 25th, keeping playoff qualification alive. That’s already a decent result for a team that won twice in the group stage: against Salzburg 2-0 and Slovan Bratislava 4-1, with heavy defeats to Bayern Munich 9-2 and Dortmund 3-0, and draws against Monaco 2-2 and Celtic 0-0. Domestically, Dinamo Zagreb has been dominating Croatian football, winning seven league titles in a row, but they are not that dominant this season. They did manage to snap out of the rut with a 3-2 win over Varazdin in December after a dismal run of three draws and two losses.

Arsenal will be without their key players: right winger Bukayo Saka (5 goals, 10 assists in the Premier League, 4 goals, 2 assists in the Champions League), striker Gabriel Jesus, defender Ben White, young winger Ethan Nwaneri, and long-term absentee Tomiyasu. In spite of the recent criticism, Kai Havertz (7 goals and 2 assists in the Premier League, 3 goals in the Champions League) is expected to lead the attack. In support are forwards Gabriel Martinelli (5 goals and 2 assists in the Premier League), Leandro Trossard (3 goals and 2 assists in the Premier League), and playmaker Martin Ødegaard (1 goal and 2 assists in the Premier League). Arsenal’s defense has been rather resolute; it has shipped only two goals in six Champions League encounters so far as William Saliba and Gabriel head a solid rear guard.

The hosts have also got their problems: Dinamo Zagreb will also be without several players, including midfielders Josip Mišić and Luka Su ić and forward Bruno Petković who has scored 3 goals and provided 2 assists in the league. Key playmaker Martin Baturina (1 goal and 5 assists in the league) will be joined in the middle of the park by striker Sandro Kulenović, with 8 league goals and 3 in the Champions League, along with former Juventus player Marko Pjaca, with 4 league goals. The backline will be marshaled by experienced players such as Kévin Théophile-Catherine and Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel.

Prediction

Dinamo Zagreb has struggled much in away matches since its return to the Champions League, securing just one point from their last 17 road games while conceding a total of 12 goals and scoring only three. Arsenal, however, has won 12 of their last 18 home matches in top-tier competitions, and as such go into the match as strong favorites to win with ease against their underperforming opponents.

Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Dinamo Zagreb