The Matchday 7 fixture of the 2024/25 Champions League group stage between Arsenal (England) and Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) will take place on January 22 at the Emirates Stadium in London. Arsenal vs. Dinamo Zagreb: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)
Matches – 6 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 32;
Average yellow cards per match – 5.3;
Red cards shown – 4;
Average fouls per match – 25;
Penalties – 33%.
Predicted lineups for Arsenal vs. Dinamo Zagreb
Arsenal (4-3-3): David Raya – Jurrien Timber, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Thomas Partey, Gabriel Magalhaes – Jorginho, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard – Raheem Sterling, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz.
Dinamo Zagreb (4-1-4-1): Daniel Zagorac – Stefan Ristovski, Kevin Theophile-Catherine, Sadegh Moharrami, Ronael Pierre-Gabriel – Maxime Bernauer – Marko Rog, Luka Stojkovic, Martin Baturina, Branko Pavic – Lukas Kacavenda.
Arsenal
The Gunners have faced challenges in this Champions League campaign only against Serie A teams – a draw with Atalanta (0-0) and a loss to Inter (0-1). In other group stage matches, the Londoners have only won: victories over Shakhtar Donetsk (1-0) and Sporting (5-1), as well as Ligue 1 clubs PSG (2-0) and Monaco (3-0). Mikel Arteta's side has conceded just two goals (only Inter and Liverpool have better defensive records, with one goal each). If the English side wins this match, they will secure a spot in the playoffs.
Forwards Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka, midfielder Ethan Nwaneri, and defenders Takehiro Tomiyasu, William Saliba, and Ben White will miss the game due to injuries.
- At least one team has failed to score in 6 of Arsenal's last 7 Champions League matches.
- No more than three goals have been scored in 6 of the Londoners' last 7 matches in this European competition.
- The club has won in regular time in 7 of their last 8 home matches in this tournament.
Dinamo Zagreb
The Croatians are in 24th place – the last position that allows progression to the Champions League playoffs. Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming match, Dinamo will not lose their chances of advancing to the next round of the tournament. However, it should be noted that the two victories they have secured in this European competition were against underdogs – Salzburg (2-0) and Slovan Bratislava (4-1). The club also has draws with Monaco (2-2) and Celtic (0-0).
Midfielder Petar Sucic will miss the match due to injury.
- The team has not lost in 7 of their last 9 Champions League matches (4 wins and 3 draws).
- At least three goals have been scored in 7 of Dinamo's last 10 games in this European competition.
- The number "2" has appeared in the final scoreline in 6 of Dinamo's last 7 away matches in this tournament.
Arsenal vs. Dinamo Zagreb: Match Prediction
The Balkan side has decent statistics in the Champions League, but these have mostly been achieved against lower-ranked opponents. Whenever the Croatians face a serious opponent, they suffer a defeat by two or more goals. This was also the case in the current Champions League campaign – the team lost to Bayern Munich (2-9) and Borussia Dortmund (0-3). I predict that the visitors will not only fail to earn points but also lose by a minimal margin.
The Gunners are looking to secure their spot in the next round of the tournament. It is also important for the team to qualify directly for the Champions League Round of 16. In the next round, the English side will travel to Girona, who are strong at home and unlikely to allow Mikel Arteta's team to add three points to their tally. Therefore, Arsenal needs a convincing victory in the seventh round.
It is also worth noting that the Londoners have won seven of their last eight home matches in the Champions League with a clean sheet in regular time, with five of those victories coming by a margin of two or more goals. My prediction – Arsenal with a handicap (-2)
