Dinamo Zagreb host Manchester City on Wednesday. The Croatian side will need to win and hope results go their way if they are to qualify for the Round of 16, while Man City have already booked their place in the knockout stages after cementing top spot in Group C.
Dinamo Zagreb currently sit in third place – one point behind second-place Shakhtar Donetsk. If Shakhtar fail to beat Atalanta in the other match in Group C, then victory for the Croatians on Matchday 6 would see them progress.
However, after a strong start to their Champions League campaign, Dinamo Zagreb have failed to win any of their last four games in this competition.
A hat-trick from Mislav Orsic helped Dinamo thrash Atalanta 4-0 in their opening match. Nenad Bjelica’s side then lost 2-0 to Man City, before claiming a 2-2 draw with Shakhtar on Matchday 3.
Dinamo drew with the Ukrainian champions in the reverse fixture, but suffered a lackluster defeat to Atalanta in the previous round.
On the other hand, Man City are yet to taste defeat in the Champions League this season. Three straight victories saw the English side race to the top of Group C, but consecutive draws have taken the shine off their campaign a little.
Still, manager Pep Guardiola won’t be too disappointed with his side’s slight dip in Europe. With qualification for the next round already sealed, the Spaniard will be more concerned about City’s below par domestic campaign.
Two wins in five league games have seen Man City fall 14 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race. City are also six points behind second-place Leicester City, while Chelsea are just three points behind Guardiola’s side.
Man City come into this game on the back of a derby defeat to fierce rivals Manchester United. City were outplayed by their neighbours, so they will be keen to bounce back with a win on Wednesday.
☀️🥶⚽️ pic.twitter.com/uU1Iaixubp— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 4, 2019
☀️🥶⚽️ pic.twitter.com/uU1Iaixubp
In contrast, Dinamo Zagreb are flying high at the top of the Croatian top-flight. They have already opened up a nine-point gap at the top of the table, and will be confident of upsetting the odds when Man City come to town.
With that being said, the English side should have more than enough quality to get the job done. Dinamo have scored plenty of goals this season, but their defensive frailties have been exposed against stronger teams in the Champions League.
Forebet predicts that Man City will maintain their unbeaten run in this competition by securing a narrow victory. A clean sheet looks likely for the visitors.