Arsenal have won both previous home games against Dinamo Zagreb, 2-1 in 2006 and then 3-0 nine years later. The Croatian champions meantime have lost eight of 11 previous visits to England overall, the Blues' sole victory coming at West Ham three seasons ago, albeit they did hoist the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup aloft at Elland Road in 1967, following a goalless draw with Leeds in the second leg of the final.
Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb Preview
Can Arsenal rubber stamp their spot in the Champions League's last 16. So far in Europe, the Gunners have accumulated 13 points from six fixtures, notably hammering Sporting 5-1 in Lisbon, while also winning all three home matches without conceding, claiming victories over Paris Saint-Germain, Shakhtar Donetsk and, most-recently, Monaco. Thus, Mikel Arteta's team are currently third in the gigantic Champions League table, knowing a victory here would almost certainly cement their spot in the round of 16, before facing Girona at Montilivi next Wednesday.
Despite all of that, the overall zeitgeist in North London is one of doom and gloom. On Saturday, the feel-bad factor continued, with the Gunners racing into a 2-0 lead at home to Aston Villa, Gabriel Martinelli and then Kai Havertz scoring, only to concede twice in six minutes, throwing two points away. So, since New Year's Day, Arsenal have been dumped out out the FA Cup, are all but out of the Carabao Cup and have won only one of three Premier League matches, leaving them six points adrift run-away league-leaders Liverpool. Thus, a routine victory is required here to help lift the mood.
As for GNK Dinamo Zagreb, having ousted Qarabağ in August's play-offs, they're particiapting in the Champions League proper for the ninth time, now aiming to reach the tournament's knockout phase for the very first time. Fair to say, the Blues endured a nightmare start to this campaign, ignominiously demolished 9-2 by Bayern Munich, conceding six during a final half hour capitulation, a result that saw Sergej Jakirović sacked.
Despite this, the Croatian champions have recovered and taken their tally to eight points, beating both RB Salzburg and Slovan Bratislava on the road, while also holding Monaco and Celtic to draws at Stadion Maksimir; a 3-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund the sole blot on their copy book since matchday one. Despite this, manager Nenad Bjelica was sacked, having been in charge for only 15 games, just after Christmas, due to Dinamo Zagreb's poor league form; they're currently third in the Prva HNL, seven points adrift both Rijeka and Hajduk Split, despite having won a ridiculous 19 of the last 20 titles, including each of the last seven.
So, former World Cup and Ballon d'Or winner Fabio Cannavaro is their new boss, set to charge for the first time, given that this'll be the Blues' first competitive fixture since 22 December, with the Italian merely overseeing friendlies against Lech Poznań and Jagiellonia Białystok to date. Thus, can the serial Croatian champions spring a major surprise in North London?
Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb Head-to-Head Record
- Matches Played: 4.
- Arsenal Wins: 3. Draws: 0. Dinamo Zagreb Wins: 1.
Arsenal Team News
Mikel Arteta is currently without Benjamin White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Riccardo Calafiori, Ethan Nwaneri, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus, while star defender William Saliba is the latest player in the treatment room, missing Saturday's draw with Aston Villa. This saw Jurriën Timber slide across to centre-back, with Thomas Partey at right-back, and Arteta is frankly short of options in both defence and up front, meaning Raheem Sterling was the only player brought off the bench at the weekend. Squad players Kieran Tierney, Jakub Kiwior or Jorginho could be rotate into the lineup, but the rest of the bench will be made up of teenagers, an alarming lack of squad depth which is far from ideal, considering this is the seventh of nine games the Gunners have on the calendar in January. Gabriel Martinelli will miss the matchday eight clash with Girona if booked.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Dinamo Zagreb: (4-2-3-1): Raya; Partey, Timber, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Jorginho, Merino, Ødegaard; Martinelli, Havertz, Trossard.
Arsenal Player to Watch vs Dinamo Zagreb
Raheem Sterling has previously scored against GNK Dinamo at the Etihad and Stamford Bridge, so can he repeat the feat on Wednesday, hopefully sparking his fledgling Arsenal career into life?
Dinamo Zagreb Team News
Given that this is Fabio Cannavaro's first match in charge, it's tough to predict what he might change. Croatian international striker Bruno Petković is injured, while right-back Sadegh Moharrami, who started their most-recentl league game, isn't in the UEFA squad. Key midfielder Petar Sučić is also sidelined due to a metatarsal fracture, hence why Lukas Kačavenda is set to start; Marko Rog, Stefan Ristovski, Kačavenda himself, Martin Baturina and Sandro Kulenović would all sit out that matchday eight clash with AC Milan, which could be pivotal, if booked.
Dinamo Zagreb predicted lineup vs Arsenal: (4-2-3-1): Zagorac; Ristovski, Bernauer, Théophile-Catherine, Pierre-Gabriel; Rog, Kačavenda, Baturina, Špikić, Pjaca; Kulenović.
Dinamo Zagreb Player to Watch vs Arsenal
Sandro Kulenović will lead the line, looking to add to his 14 goals this season, five of which have come in the Champions League.
Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb Prediction
We're forecasting a very comfortable victory for Arsenal. Since the start of last season, the Gunners have won all six home Champions League group games, scoring 18 goals and conceding zero, while GNK Dinamo have conceded 104 goals during their last 41 games in this competition, that's an average of over 2.5 per game, a tally most in North London will expect to rise: Arsenal 3-0 Dinamo Zagreb.
Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb FAQs - Champions League
How to watch Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb Champions League game on TV channel?
Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb Champions League game will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: TNT Sports 2 & Ultimate
- USA: Paramount+ & ViX
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb Champions League game on live streaming?
Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb Champions League game will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Discovery+
- USA: Paramount+ & ViX
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League?
Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb takes place on Wednesday 22 January 2025, with kick off at 20:00 (GMT), 15:00 (EDT) & 12:00 (PST).