Dinamo Zagreb vs Anderlecht Predictions

Dinamo Zagreb have already claimed the top spot in Group D and can now afford to rest players for their final game of the group stage against Anderlecht on Thursday. The visitors can’t finish in the qualifying places and are only playing for a possible third place finish ahead of Spartak Trnava, but need to win on Thursday and hope they fail to beat Fenerbahce.

On Sunday Zagreb ran out 2-0 winners against Inter Zaprešić in 1. HNL, maintaining their impressive lead at the top of the table. Kądzior opened the scoring for the visitors in the twenty-second minute and that goal proved enough to separate the sides at the break. The hosts had Čeliković sent-off five minutes int the second half and just ten minutes later Zagreb took advantage by scoring their second goal of the game through Petković. The visitors dominated the match and deserved their three points and now head into Thursday’s game having won their last three matches in all competitions.

Anderlecht sit fourth in the Belgian First Division A after only managing a 1-1 draw at home with Sporting Charleroi on Sunday. The first half ended goalless, despite the best efforts of the hosts, who looked the more likely to score the games opening goal. Just two minutes into the second half Amuzu scored, to hand Anderlecht a deserved lead, and from that point on it looked like the hosts would claim all three points. However, the visitors were awarded an eighty-ninth minute penalty and Benavente levelled the scores under pressure to earn Sporting Charleroi a surprise point.

Back in October Anderlecht were beaten in their own backyard 2-0 by Dinamo Zagreb, and both teams ended the game with ten-men. A nineteenth minute penalty from Hajrović saw Zagreb take the lead in Belgium, but the sending-off of Vranješ just a minute into the second half changed the game. Anderlecht were still seeing plenty of the ball, but Zagreb always looked the more likely to score, which they did in the sixty-eighth minute through Gojak. Anderlecht can’t have too many complaints about the end result, because despite having 61% of the overall possession, it was the visitors that had nine shots on target while the hosts mustered just two.

Hajrović has netted three goals in the Europa League for Dinamo Zagreb this season, while teammates Gojak and Oršić have scored two each. Bakkali is the only Anderlecht player to have scored in the Europa League this season, and with two goals he represents their main attacking threat. Anderlecht have been poor in Europe this season and are yet to win a game, which doesn’t bode well ahead of a tricky trip to Croatia.

We’re confident that Dinamo Zagreb will win to nil on Thursday, and have backed the game to end 3-0. The hosts have won three, drawn two, and lost just one of their last six matches, while Anderlecht have lost three, drawn two, and won one. The hosts are yet to lose in Europe this season and with four clean sheets in their last four matches, we expect this to continue on Thursday.