Celtic head to the Croatian capital to take on Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Tuesday, and we’ve got the latest team news and confirmed lineups, as well as a score prediction alongside our preview.
Dinamo Zagreb vs Celtic Preview
Brendan Rodgers and his Celtic side travel to Croatia to take on Dinamo Zagreb on MD6 of the Champions League league phase on Tuesday, where they’ll be hoping to extend their unbeaten run across all competitions to 14 straight matches.
The Bhoys have suffered just one defeat this season, a 7-1 humbling away at Borussia Dortmund on MD2, but they have since gone unbeaten, winning each of their last eight domestically while recording a win and two draws in Europe.
Their win, a 3-1 triumph against RB Leipzig last month, is sandwiched by a 0-0 stalemate against reigning Europa League champions Atalanta on MD3 and a 1-1 draw with Belgian champions Club Brugge last time out.
It’s a return that sees the Scottish Premiership leaders boast eight points after five games, level with the likes of Juventus and Manchester City, as they occupy 20th place in the table, on course for playoff advancement.
👀 Eyes on the #UCL#DinamoZagrebCeltic | #CelticFC🍀 pic.twitter.com/pX3agXOA7w
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) December 9, 2024
Dinamo, meanwhile, are in 23rd on seven points, sneaking into the playoff positions as things stand, having won two, drawn one and lost two in their opening five league phase matches.
The Croatian champions’ victories came back-to-back on MD3 and MD4, as they cruised to a 2-0 win over RB Salzburg and a 4-1 triumph over winless Slovan Bratislava, before losing 3-0 to Dortmund last time out.
Since the win over Slovan last month, Dinamo are winless in five across all competitions, with a 1-0 defeat to Hajduk and a 1-1 draw with Slaven following the loss to Dortmund on MD5, leaving them six points adrift of league leaders Rijeka in third place in the Croatian Football League.
Dinamo Zagreb Team News
The hosts are likely to be without star forward Bruno Petkovic due to an adductor injury, while Juan Cordoba (knee), Petar Sucic (foot) and Josip Misic (calf) are set to miss out through injury. Moroccan defender Samy Mmaee is also ruled out after being suspended by the club for a ‘breach of discipline’.
Arijan Ademi and Raul Torrente are doubts after being withdrawn in the first half against Slaven at the weekend too, however their concerns are reportedly minor, so they should be in contention for Tuesday.
Celtic Team News
The Bhoys have just one injury concern heading into continental action, and that’s with Odin Thiago Holm, who remains out of action as he continues to recover from a calf injury.
Rodgers is likely to field a front line consisting of Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn, Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda, with the trio being named in each of Celtic’s last two Champions League lineups.
Dinamo Zagreb vs Celtic Confirmed Lineups
Dinamo Zagreb Lineup:
Zagorac; Ristovski, Theophile-Catherine, Bernauer, Pierre-Gabriel; Kacavenda, Rog; Spikic, Baturina, Pjaca; Kulenovic
Celtic Lineup:
Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor; Hatate, McGregor, Bernardo; Kuhn, Furuhashi, Maeda
Dinamo Zagreb vs Celtic Prediction
The UK’s best football betting sites are narrowly favouring Celtic to come out on top against Dinamo on MD6, and we at SportsCasting agree with their assessment, as we’re backing the Bhoys to win a tightly-contested affair.
Both sides have enjoyed decent starts to the competition this term, boasting two wins apiece, but recent form suggests that problems may lie ahead for the Croatian champions.
Their current five-game winless run has reportedly put manager Nenad Bjelica under pressure, and we’re expecting a Celtic side, who are unbeaten in 13, to add to that pressure with a narrow victory on Tuesday night.
Prediction: Dinamo Zagreb 0-1 Celtic
