Our prediction for this Champions League match:
After surviving Sampdoria in the Serie A, Milan will look to give fans yet another reason for celebration when they take on Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League group stages round 2. The Rossoneri obviously continue where they left last season, and they must be high on spirits ahead of Wednesday’s clash. All Alessandro Florenzi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Ante Rebic are sidelined with injuries, while Divock Origi is a major doubt.
The Croatian champions, on the other hand, are eyeing their seventh consecutive win in all competitions. Ante Cacic’s men did well to shock Chelsea in their Champions League opener, but they will have a much bigger fish to fry against Milan, who have turned their Stadio San Siro into a real fortress. Ante Cacic can count on key players for Wednesday’s showdown with the Italian champions.
Highlighted Player (Zlatan Ibrahimovic):
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a Swedish footballer of Bosnian descent. Ibra was born in Malmo on 3 October, 1981 and, as a result, he decided to represent Sweden on the international stage. The 195-cm-tall attacker started his senior career at Malmo and in 2011 he moved to Ajax.
Ibrahimovic was producing outstanding performances for the Amsterdammers from 2001 to 2004 and, as a result, he was linked with a move with several European giants. In 2004 he signed a deal with Juventus for a fee of €16 million. Ibra scored 23 goals in 70 league games with the Bianconeri and he won two Serie A trophies with club (both revoked due to the Calciopoli scandal). He played for Inter and Milan in the past as well and he was part of Barcelona between 2009 and 2011.
In 2012 he moved to PSG and it has to be noted that he won for Ligue 1 trophies with les Parisiens. After scoring on his last game for PSG against Nantes, he joined Manchester United in the summer of 2016. Ibrahimovic represented Sweden at several major tournaments.
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.