Does Dinamo storm into the group stage?
Showdown in the qualifiers for the international competitions. This week will decide which teams will advance to the group stages of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. The second legs of the play-offs are on the agenda and we take a look at the Beletage of European football. With Dinamo Zagreb and the Norwegians from Bodö, two teams have high hopes of qualifying for the extremely lucrative matches.
The Croatians are the record champions of their country and celebrated their 22nd championship title last season. In the duel with the Norwegian representatives, the bookmakers see the hosts at an advantage and make predictions in favour of the dark blue in the match Dinamo Zagreb vs Bodö/Glimt. They have to make up for a 0:1 deficit, which the capitals suffered a week ago. Since the away goals rule has fortunately been abolished, the objective is clear for the Croatians. A win, no matter how high!
The Black and Yellows from the small town of Bodö have gained international experience in recent years and should not be underestimated by the home side. In the qualifying rounds, the guests won through confidently and the reigning champions are also doing well in the league. We expect an exciting duel in which it is completely open who will reach the group stage. Kick-off at the Maksimir Stadium is at 21:00 on Wednesday.
Dinamo Zagreb – Statistics & current form
With five consecutive title wins, Dinamo Zagreb have been Croatia’s defining team in recent years. Last season they celebrated their 22nd league title. At the end of the season, the dark blue team was seven points ahead of their first rivals from Split and thus opened up the chance to reach the financially lucrative group stage of the Champions League.
The home side is also doing brilliantly this season. After six games, the capital city’s team is at the top of the table. With sixteen points out of a possible eighteen, the hosts are already five points ahead of second-placed Slaven Belupo. Hajduk Split can still move up to the top of the table with two games to spare. The reigning champions are thus back on track towards defending their title.
Zagreb with five wins in the league
The dress rehearsal for the important qualifier on Wednesday was a success on Saturday. NK Osijek were put in their place with 5:2. It was the fifth success from the first six games. The hosts only conceded points at promoted Varazdin in a 1-1 draw. With 22 goals, no team in the HNL has come close to matching Zagreb’s tally. Mislav Orsic has scored four times so far and is his team’s top scorer.
Due to the offensive style of play, the defence also allows the opponents to create chances again and again. Goalkeeper Livakovic has already had to fish the ball out of his own net eight times. Only four teams in the ten-team league conceded more goals than Zagreb.
Dinamo with start-up problems in qualifying
The team of head coach Ante Cacic has already had to survive two qualifying rounds. Against the northern Macedonians from FK Shkupi, the hosts found it very difficult. After a 2:2 home draw, the Croatians saved themselves for the next round with a 1:0 away win. There, things were clearer against Ludogorez Rasgrad. The dark-blue team won 2-1 in Bulgaria and then made everything clear with a 4-2 win at home.
The task now is to make it into the group stage. In the match between Dinamo Zagreb and Bodö/Glimt, the best bookmakers are offering odds of 1.85 at the top for bets on the Cacic team. A win with more than a two-goal difference would see the Croatians progress.
Predicted line-up of Dinamo Zagreb:
Livakovic – Rístovski, Lauritsen, Peric, Moharrami – Misic, Ademi – Orsic, Baturina, Spikic – Petkovic
Last matches played by Dinamo Zagreb:
1st League
21/08/2022 – Dinamo Zagreb 5 – 2 Osijek
Champions League Qualifier
17/08/2022 – Bodö/Glimt 1 – 0 Dinamo Zagreb
1st League
14/08/2022 – Dinamo Zagreb 4 – 1 Hajduk Split
Champions League Qualifier
10/08/2022 – Dinamo Zagreb 4 – 2 PFK Ludogorez Rasgrad
1st League
06/08/2022 – NK Varazdin 1 – 1 Dinamo Zagreb
Bodö/Glimt – Statistics & current form
The team from Bodö, a town with 50,000 inhabitants in the province of Nordland, has been the measure of all things in Norway over the last two years. They won the national title twice in a row. They were also the first two championships ever for the club. Now they want to put the icing on the cake by qualifying for the group stage of the Champions League.
Norway is one of the few European countries that adjust their season to the annual rhythm. That is why more than half of the games in the Eliteserien have already been played. Currently, it does not look like the visitors will defend their title. The Black and Yellows are in third place in the table after nineteen games, seven points behind leaders Molde FK. This would mean participation in the Conference League next year.
Bodö is currently hard to beat
Bodö/Glimt are unbeaten in nine games across the competition. In the league, after six wins in a row, there was a slight damper last weekend. In the dress rehearsal for the second leg, head coach Kjetil Knutsen’s team had to settle for a 2-2 draw against HamKam.
As the Norwegians are not ranked high in the UEFA rankings, the visitors had to go through all three qualifying rounds so far. Against Klaksvik, the Black and Yellows salvaged a 3-0 first-leg win. A 1-0 defeat at Linfield FC was reversed in an 8-0 win a week later. The 1993 Cup winners now have a tough nut to crack in the Croatian side. In the match between Dinamo Zagreb and Bodö/Glimt, betting on the visitors is rewarded with odds of 4.00.
Bodö with strong penetration
The Norwegians’ strength clearly lies in their offensive. The opposing keeper has already been overcome 50 times. This is by far the best value in the Elite Series. The defence still delivers the third best value of this statistic with 22 goals conceded. Last year Bodö reached the quarter-finals of the Conference League. There they were eliminated by AS Roma (2:1, 0:4).
Predicted line-up of Bodö/Glimt:
Haikin – Wembangomo, Amundsen, Hoibraaten, Sampsted – Saltnes, Hagen, Vetlesen – Pellegrino, Salvesen., Mvuka Mugisha
Last games from Bodö/Glimt:
Elite Series
20/08/2022 – Bodö/Glimt 2 – 2 Hamarkameratene
Champions League Qualifier
17/08/2022 – Bodö/Glimt 1 – 0 Dinamo Zagreb
Eliteserien
12/08/2022 – Sarpsborg 08 1 – 4 Bodö/Glimt
Champions League Qualifier
09/08/2022 – Zalgiris Vilnius 1 – 1 Bodö/Glimt
Elite Series
06/08/2022 – Bodö/Glimt 7 – 0 Odds Ballklubb
Dinamo Zagreb – Bodö/Glimt Direct comparison / H2H balance
The first leg between the two teams was also the first direct comparison. In front of no less than 7762 spectators, the hosts defeated the renowned representatives from Croatia 1:0 with a goal by the top scorer Pellegrino.
The aim now is to defend this lead. But in the duel between Dinamo Zagreb and Bodö/Glimt, the bookmakers’ forecasts see the hosts with a clear advantage, so that a progress of the guests would be a small surprise. So far, the Dark Blues have never lost a home match against a Norwegian representative.
Dinamo Zagreb – Bodö/Glimt Tip
Just one game to go before reaching the financially most interesting Champions League group stage. We are looking forward to two teams that showed very good performances in the last weeks and qualified quite confidently for the playoffs. In the duel Dinamo-Zagreb vs Bodö/Glimt odds of 1.65 are paid for the Norwegians to advance.
The Croatians are marching ahead in the HNL table and are in first place. The dark blue team scored an average of almost four goals. But the Black and Yellows are not to be underestimated. Knutsen’s side are now undefeated in nine games in the competition and will be a real test for the hosts.
We believe the hosts have every chance of prevailing in this clash. We see the two teams as equals and home advantage may ultimately tip the scales.
For this to happen, the Croats will need a win after 90 minutes. In the match between Dinamo Zagreb and Bodö/Glimt, betting odds of 1.85 on a win for the dark blue team is a good alternative.
