Dinamo Zagreb manager Ante Cacic always knew that Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic would make it all the way to the top as the Croatian international was heavily praised ahead of the UEFA Champions League Group E opener.
For most of the Blues' travelling squad, this is just a regular Champions League trip abroad but for the 28-year-old, this game is special in the fact that it is against a Croatian club and it is being played in his homeland. Despite missing early parts of 2022/23 with an ongoing injury that impacted his pre-season schedule, Kovacic is now at a point of being able to play consistently and build up the minutes on the pitch in an attempt to build up his fitness.
With N'Golo Kante's injury in mind, it has been vitally important that the Croatian international has been able to contribute and play in recent games after the double pivot experiment of Jorginho and Conor Gallagher failed.
