CFR Cluj vs Dinamo Zagreb Betting Tip Dinamo Zagreb – 26 August 2020

Dinamo's experience may give them the edge

Luis Aurelio / CFR Cluj ©imago images / Domenic Aquilina 19.08.2020

RomaniaCFR Cluj vs Dinamo ZagrebCroatia
26 August 1900hrs
Football – Europe – Champions League
Pick Dinamo Zagreb
Bookmaker Paddypower
Odds: 7/5 odds taken 2000 GMT, Tuesday 25 August

One of the ties of this round sees the Romanian champions Cluj host their Croatian equivalents Dinamo Zagreb with both teams eyes on making this season’s group stage.

Bet at Paddypower

 

 

CFR Cluj Preview – Can Cluj overcome this hurdle and move a step closer to their first group stage since 2012?

It’s been eight years since Cluj reached the group stages of the Champions League but they have given themselves a chance of qualifying this year following a dramatic title success. Cluj won their final four games to finish top, giving them a third successive championship. Dan Petrescu will be hoping his team have learned from their near miss last season when they got to the playoff stage and lost out to a strong Slavia Prague – losing both legs 2-0.

Cluj dropped into the Europa League where they were unlucky to lose on away goals against the eventual winners Sevilla. Those matches showed how competitive this group of players can be and their growing confidence of playing at this level.

Our betting prediction:
Under 2.5 goals
3/4

Bet at Unibet

(odds taken 2000 GMT, Tuesday 24 August)

 

It’s been a very strong start from Cluj at the start of this new season, too, with a 2-0 win away to Maltese champions Floriana in the first round of qualification, followed by a win in the opening round of matches in the Romanian top division.

Cluj seen off Astana and Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Champions League qualification at home last year before drawing with Celtic and then that 1-0 loss against the Czech champions. It’s something of a mixed bag and they know they will have to be at their best in order to progress to the next round.

Dinamo Zagreb Preview – Will Zagreb’s 100% start to the season continue?

Dinamo continue to be dominant in their domestic league and have been very effective in negotiating these qualifying rounds, too. In the last five years they have reached the lucrative group stages on three occasions in 2015, 2016 and last season. It’s always been challenging when they get to that stage but that’s to be expected for a club in one of European’s lesser leagues with a limited budget.

Due to their record in these games Dinamo are one team that most want to avoid and also means they enter at this stage of qualification.

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Despite this being their first European game of the season Dinamo have had two league matches to get themselves ready for this game and have taken maximum points from them. A 6-0 win over local rivals Lokomotiva was followed by a hard-fought 1-0 success away to Istra 1961 at the weekend.

Dani Olmo – who scored one of Leipzig’s goals in the quarter-final win over Atletico Madrid – moved to the Germans from Dinamo at the beginning of 2020 having been a key reason for their success in the five years previous. The promising Lovro Majer is the emerging talent hoping to provide that bit of quality that can help his team reach the group stage.

CFR Cluj vs Dinamo Zagreb Betting Advice

Despite these teams having relative success in Europe, this will be the first meeting between Cluj and Dinamo. It’s a tie that neither would have wanted and the fact it is in Romania should mean it’s even more of an evenly matched contest.

The winners will also be seeded which – in theory – should give them a good chance of making the playoffs at least which then guarantees group stage football in Europe of some kind.

Key Facts – CFR Cluj vs Dinamo Zagreb Betting Tip

  • Cluj reached the playoff stage of qualification last season, eventually losing to Slavia Prague
  • Dinamo are hoping to reach the group stages for the fourth season out the last six
  • This will be the first meeting between the two clubs in a competitive match

 

Dinamo are slightly favoured to win the game and that’s fair on what they have done in recent seasons, but this will be a challenge. The Croatians have not lost an away qualifier since 2010 and that experience could be the difference on this occasion in a game where there is not much to choose between the teams.

The best betting odds for CFR Cluj vs Dinamo Zagreb

CFR Cluj to win: 85/40 Unibet
Draw: 23/10 at Unibet
Dinamo Zagreb to win: 7/5 at Unibet