Dinamo Zagreb Vs Shkupi
Dinamo Zagreb Vs Shkupi Tuesday, 19 July 2022 – 20:00 (BST)
UEFA Champions League
Pick: Under 3.5 Goals and Both Teams to Score NO
Odds: 5/6
Bookmaker: Betfair (Bet Builder)
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 17 July 2022)
Preview: Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb, boasting an abundance of European experience, welcome the best North Macedonia has to offer. As little known FK Shkupi set out to ruffle some feathers in this second qualifying round first-leg in Zagreb.
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Table of Contents
Dinamo Zagreb – First-leg loss would represent huge shock?
Seven group stage appearances in the Champions League under their belts, the last of those in 2019-20 when finishing in last place in a section that also included Atalanta, Man City and Shakhtar Donetsk. The Croatians clearly have a wealth of experience to call upon. As such, and unsurprisingly, they begin as overwhelming favourites to put all that to good use across this second qualifying round tie.
Dinamo Zagreb clinched a record-extending 23rd Croatian league title in 2021-22, and fifth in as many seasons. This didn’t hold much sway on Saturday, though, as visiting Lokomotiv Zagreb very nearly sprung an upset in the opening round from this season’s Prva HNL top-flight. Dinamo Zagreb, with nine wins from their past 15 European home games (D4 L2), rallying from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Stadion Maksimir.
Key Stat: There have been fewer than three match goals in 11 of Dinamo Zagreb’s 15 previous home European matches, a period which seen the Croatians preserve their clean sheet on seven occasions.
Shkupi – North Macedonia’s finest well and truly up against the odds?
Whatever transpires over the next eight days, history has been made. Prior to this season, FK Shkupi had never progressed beyond the second qualifying round of any UEFA club competition. A 3-2 aggregate victory over Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar in the last round means they are guaranteed at least one more tie after this, dropping into the Europa League should the inevitable occur and they succumb to Dinamo Zagreb.
If they are to progress further in this competition, however, some further history may need to be created. The North Macedonians – league champions last season for the first time in their history – are still searching for their maiden away victory in Europe. This following a 2-0 loss in Gibraltar on 12 June that left them with two draws and four defeats from six such matches, failing to so much as score in half those games.
Key Stat: Each of FK Shkupi’s six away matches in Europe produced a minimum of two goals, this despite the club from North Macedonia failing to score more than once in all but one of these games.
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Dinamo Zagreb Vs FK Shkupi Betting Advice
Dinamo Zagreb are used to assuming the underdog role. Which goes some way to explaining how so many recent European home games of theirs were low on goals (opening up against better teams doesn’t usually end well). I’m still not convinced they can rack up a big score here though. DZ haven’t scored 4, or more, at home in Europe since 2019 (17 games without doing so including several presentable qualifiers).
Dinamo Zagreb Vs FK Shkupi – Key Facts:
- The clubs are meeting for the very first time. Dinamo Zagreb haven’t been eliminated in the second qualifying round of the Champions League since 1997, beaten 4-3 on aggregate by Newcastle United.
- Since the start of 2019-20, Dinamo Zagreb would lose only two of 15 European home games (W9 D4 L2 when qualifiers are included). 11 of these games went Under 2.5 on goals.
- FK Shkupi are without an away win in European competition in their entire history, with this their seven such attempt (D2 L4 previously). They were defeated 2-0 in Gibraltar by Lincoln Red Imps in the last round.
In fact, Ante Cacic’s Croatian league champions last notched more than three goals in a competitive fixture in an 8-0 Prva HNL trouncing of Dragovoljac in October 2021. So, while the gulf in quality between these sides could easily be exposed by the home side, chances are it won’t. Meanwhile, with no goal scored in 3 of 6 European away games thus far, there seems little likelihood of FK Shkupi posing much threat.
Best Betting Odds – Dinamo Zagreb Vs FK Shkupi
Dinamo Zagreb – 1/9 (Boylesports)
Draw – 15/2 (WilliamHill)
FK Shkupi – 40/1 (Coral)
