Arsenal will all but secure their place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday evening if they beat Dinamo Zagreb at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners have won four of their last six games and, despite a disappointing trip to Italy, are close to securing a place in the top eight in the first league phase of Europe’s premier competition. This means they will move straight into the round of 16 and avoid a potentially challenging play-off clash.
Arsenal have won all three home games in this year’s competition and will be strong favorites to visit Dinamo. The Croatian giants recovered somewhat from the 9-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the opening round of the league phase, securing two wins and two draws in the following five games to keep them in the race to qualify for the knockout stages. phase are.
Here is 90 minutes Guide to a crucial European clash in north London.
Head-to-head results Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb (all time)
Current form (all competitions)
arsenal | Dinamo Zagreb |
|---|---|
Arsenal 2-2 Aston Villa – 18/01/25 | Dinamo Zagreb 3-2 Varazdin – 12/22/24 |
Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham – 01/15/25 | Lokomotiva 3-1 Dinamo Zagreb – 12/14/24 |
Arsenal 1-1 (3-5p) Man Utd – 12/01/25 | Dinamo Zagreb 0-0 Celtic – 10/12/24 |
Arsenal 0-2 Newcastle – 01/07/25 | Dinamo Zagreb 1:1 Slaven – 06/12/24 |
Brighton 1-1 Arsenal – 01/04/25 | Hajduk Split – Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 – 12/01/24 |
country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports Ultimate, Discovery+, Discovery+ App |
United States | Paramount+, ViX |
Canada | DAZN Canada |
Mikel Arteta will be cursing his recent injury luck as William Saliba has added his name to an extensive list of absentees. The Frenchman missed the weekend’s draw against Aston Villa with a hamstring injury and could be out for at least several weeks.
Saliba joins fellow defenders Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu in the treatment room, but Riccardo Calafiori is available again after recovering from injury.
Of course, Bukayo Saka is still out for the Gunners and they will miss their talisman’s creativity and ingenuity on Wednesday and beyond. Gabriel Jesus is out for the rest of the season with a torn cruciate ligament he sustained in the third round of the FA Cup, but Ethan Nwaneri is fit again and should be part of the matchday squad.
Predicted Arsenal line-up against Dinamo Zagreb (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Gabriel, Calafiori, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice; Sterling, Havertz, Martinelli.
Former Ballon d’Or winner Fabio Cannavaro has taken charge of Dinamo and will oversee his first game with the Croatian team on Wednesday. His aim is to make a positive impression on the club’s fans with a spirited performance in north London.
However, the Italian will have to do without sharpshooter Bruno Petkovic for Dinamo’s first competitive game of the calendar year as the striker is missing due to a muscle problem. Petar Sucic is at his side on the sidelines.
Predicted line-up of Dinamo Zagreb against Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Nevistic; Ristovski, Theophile-Catherine, Mmaee, Pierre-Gabriel; Ademi, Stojkovic; Cordoba, Baturina, Pjaca; Kulenovic.
Arsenal’s perfect home record in the Champions League is unlikely to be affected by Dinamo’s visit to the Emirates. Even if Arteta’s squad suffers from a growing injury list, they should have little trouble defeating the side that conceded close to double figures in goals in Bayern in September.
Giving up a two-goal lead to Villa on Saturday wasn’t the best preparation for Wednesday’s game, but Arteta should be able to rest and rotate while avoiding a slip-up. Dinamo could be rusty after a long winter break and there could be teething problems at the start of Cannavaro’s tenure that Arsenal can exploit.