Dinamo Zagreb VS Salzburg

Dinamo Zagreb host Salzburg for this UEFA Champions League group stage round 4 battle at Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, early Tuesday morning Beijing time. None of the teams are among the absolute best European clubs but I still expect a pretty good match to watch and - most importantly – to bet on! The two teams locked horns last week in Austria and Salzburg were victorious. 1-0 was the final score after surprisingly high-level match. The match was a bit more balanced than I would have expected and I slightly raised Zagreb’s power rating that illustrates the teams’ pure class after the game. The hosts were clear favorites in this match on the betting market - priced around 1.75 to win by the sharpest bookies with the biggest stake limits. Yes, the hosts were slightly better as a whole and one can say that they deserved the three points. However, a draw would not have been unjustified either.. Zagreb had a little more ball possession and recorded more total passes and completed passes. The hosts, on the other hand, recorded more shots on target, scoring chances, attacks and dangerous attacks. Zagreb are often quite lame away from home against high-quality opponents but perhaps they are finally improving their performances on the road..

I want to highlight that home advantage is almost always substantial in UEFA’s international club competition matches but Zagreb are simply an amazing team in front of their fans! They have now won eight games in a row at their stadium, including Chelsea, the Champions League winners from 2021 and have not lost a single home match this year. What a record! Indeed, they took a 1-0 after a solid performance in the first round of group stage as massive underdogs – priced around 8.00 to win on the betting market. They were not the better team on the pitch but defended with an awesome attitude and also had a great structure in the midfield and defense. They also seem to have a great team spirit and this massive win is surely a huge boost to their confidence. Chelsea did have 62% ball possession but both teams recorded just three shots on goal. Right from the kickoff it was clear that the bookies had underestimated them and the same is here too as the bookies see the visitors as narrow favorites. The odds on Zagreb have been coming down on Tuesday though as smart money is piling up on the Croatian team. In the second round Salzburg too took a result against Chelsea through a 1-1 draw in London. This was a very lucky point though as Chelsea dominated the match with close to 70% ball possession and much more goal attempts – 16-4. Zagreb lost to AC Milan in the second round, but the match was more balanced than the 3-1 final score would suggest. There is no doubt about the fact that by raw class the visitors are a little better team here but with the abnormally big home advantage Zagreb are the favorites which means that with the +0.5 goals handicap option we have about 70% chance of winning!