FK Viktoria Plzen vs Dinamo Zagreb Predictions

When Plzen play they usually produce plenty of goals, while their opponents Dynamo Zagreb prefer a more defensive style of play and it’s going to be interesting to see which one comes out on top in Thursday’s 1st leg. The hosts finished third in their Champions League group which included Real Madrid, Roma, and CSKA Moscow, while Dinamo Zagreb finished top of their Europa League group ahead of both Fenerbahce and Anderlecht.

Both teams form heading into the 1st leg has been excellent, but Plzen could only draw their first game back after the winter break against Mladá Boleslav, while Dinamo Zagreb beat Istra 1961 1-0. Plzen sit second in the Czech Liga table, six points behind Slavia Prague, whereas Dinamo Zagreb sit top of the Croatia top flight and have a fourteen point lead over nearest rivals Osijek and Rijeka. We’re expecting a dominant performance from the hosts, as they have tested themselves against top quality European opposition this season and should have too much quality for even the solid Dinamo Zagreb defence to handle.

Plzen scored seven goals and conceded sixteen during their Champions League group stage, while Dinamo Zagreb netted eleven times and only conceded three during their six Europa League group games. Whilst Fenerbahce and Anderlecht are well known names in European football, neither of the two have had the best of seasons and as such their scalps aren’t worth as much in comparison. Plzen head into the 1st leg unbeaten in their last eight matches in all competitions, winning five and drawing three, and both teams have scored in four of their last six matches. Five of Dinamo Zagreb’s last six matches have featured under 2.5 goals, with their only high scoring game coming at home against Rudeš. Dinamo Zagreb failed to score in their final two Europa League group games, perhaps a sign that teams had started to figure them out, albeit too late to do anything meaningful about it.

Krmenčík is the only player to have scored more than one goal in Europe for Plzen this season, and he leads the way with two goals. Dinamo Zagreb have Hajrović on three goals in the Europa League, while teammate Gojak and Oršić have chipped in with two goals apiece. We’re confident that Plzen will win on Thursday and that both teams will score in the process as the hosts have faced tougher opponents in Europe this season and have the home advantage against a Dinamo Zagreb side that sometimes struggle to find the back of the net.