Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Dinamo Zagreb will try to claim a major scalp in the Champions League round 5 when they take on Borussia Dortmund at Stadion Maksimir. The Blues are eyeing their third consecutive win in the elite competition, but they will have a big fish to fry against the vice-champions. As important attacker Bruno Petkovic misses out with injury, home win should not be considered. Midfielder Petar Sucic is yet another absentee in the home team.
The Yellow-Blacks, on the other hand, are brimming with confidence following a routine 4-0 win over Freiburg and we predict that they will give fans yet another reason to celebrate on Wednesday evening. Important Borussia Dortmund attacker Serhou Guirassy should recover in time to face the Croatian champions, while all Karim Adeyemi, Niclas Sule, and Kjell Watjen remain on the sidelines with injuries for the Bundesliga outfit. Nuri Sahin is likely to stick to the 4-1-4-1 formation.
Highlighted Player (Julian Brandt):
Julian Brandt is one of the most promising wingers in Germany. He started playing football in his hometown, Bremen, at SC Borgfeld, moving to FC Oberneuland, after which he joined VLF Wolfsburg’s youth academy. With 27 goals in his 48 games during two seasons with the Wolves, Brandt recommended himself to Bayer 04 Leverkusen, signing a five-and-a-half-year contract in January 2014.
The 22-year-old winger prefers to play on the left flank, but he can also provide help on the right side, as well as an attacking midfielder. During the season 2015/2016, Julian Brandt netted goals in six consecutive games, becoming the youngest player since Gerd Muller to achieve this.
The good performances in the season made Joackim Low call the youngster in Germany’s preliminary 27-man squad for the Euro 2016 and he made his first appearance for the senior squad in May 2016, against Slovakia. He was a part of the Germany squad at the Summer Olympics, where Brandt and his teammates won the silver medal. In the summer of 2018, Julian Brandt made the World Cup team.
Highlighted Team (Dinamo Zagreb):
Arguably the biggest club in Croatia and one of the most prominent football outfits in the Balkan region, Dinamo Zagreb have won 18 league titles, 11 of which came successively. Dinamo Zagreb have never been relegated to a lower tier of both Croatian and Yugoslav football.
Modri as they are called in Croatia are renowned for their impressive production line of youth footballers. Their highly organised football academy has so far produced world-class players such as Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Marko Pjaca and many others. Dinamo Zagreb play their home matches at the Stadion Maksimir in front of 35,000 people.
The club lacked support during the last couple of seasons due to fans’ disagreement with club management, most notably notorious Zdravko Mamic, who is under investigation for long-lasting corruption, tax evasion and embezzlement. For the first time since 2015, Dinamo Zagreb will have the full support of their most faithful supporters in the Champions League.