There is just one more round remaining before we enter the group stages of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League.
The playoffs consist of two legs and on Wednesday 21st August we will see the first leg between Dinamo Zagreb and Rosenborg. The match will be played at the Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb, capital city of Croatia.
Dinamo Zagreb come into this game having defeated Inter Zapresic 2-1 away from home in the 1.HNL on the weekend. That result keeps them top of the table with 13 points from five games played.
In the previous round of the Champions League, Dinamo Zagreb met Ferencvaros of Hungary and were held to a 1-1 draw at home in the first leg. This result gave cause for concern ahead of the away leg by Dinamo Zagreb produced an excellent performance to win 4-0 and progress to the playoffs.
Play-off Lige prvaka Dinamo - Rosenborg: Rasprodane su ulaznice za tribine istok, zapad dolje i zapad gore ⚽️😊👏🏻 U prodaji su za navijače Dinama još ulaznice za sjever dolje i jug 👌🏻 https://t.co/Oymtn69FzC 📷 Pixsell/Luka Stanzl #dinamozagreb #UCL pic.twitter.com/uvDdGjOx9Y— GNK Dinamo (@gnkdinamo) August 19, 2019
Play-off Lige prvaka Dinamo - Rosenborg: Rasprodane su ulaznice za tribine istok, zapad dolje i zapad gore ⚽️😊👏🏻 U prodaji su za navijače Dinama još ulaznice za sjever dolje i jug 👌🏻 https://t.co/Oymtn69FzC 📷 Pixsell/Luka Stanzl #dinamozagreb #UCL pic.twitter.com/uvDdGjOx9Y
The Croatian champions have played four games in the Champions League qualifiers this season. They defeated Saburtalo 2-0 away from home in the second qualifying round first leg and finished off the job at home, winning 3-0.
Trends show Dinamo Zagreb have lost only one of their last five home games in the Champions League. In addition to the win over Saburtalo they have defeated Hapoel Be'er Sheva 5-0 and Astana 1-0, both of which were played in 2018.
Dinamo Zagreb have kept just 4 clean sheets in their last eighteen home Champions League matches.
The domestic league season is well underway in Norway and Rosenborg are currently in 4th place, 10 points off the leaders Molde. They were held to a 1-1 draw at Odd on the weekend, a team once place above them in the table, so it was a decent result.
Trends show Rosenborg are undefeated in their last six games in all competitions. They have won four of those matches, three of which have come in the Champions League. They defeated BATE Borisov 2-0 at home, defeated Maribor 3-1 away and also beat Maribor 3-1 at home.
In the Champions League qualifying rounds this season, Rosenborg have played three away games. They defeated Linfield 2-0, lost to BATE Borisov 2-1 and defeated Maribor 3-1. They have scored in each of their last four away Champions League matches.
Team news and Dinamo Zagreb will be without the injured duo of Sadegh Moharrami and Komnen Andric. Nenad Bjelica made changes to his starting XI on the weekend with this game in mind.
Rosenborg do not have any major injury problems ahead of this match. They are expected to go with the same team which beat Maribor away in the previous round.
The bookmakers have Dinamo Zagreb as the favourites for this game but it will not be easy. Rosenborg have equipped themselves well away from home this season and we could see a low scoring draw.