The Matchday 7 encounter 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, Miles Lewis-Skelly, Thomas Partey, Gabriel Magalhães – Jorginho, Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard – Raheem Sterling, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz.
Dinamo Zagreb (4-1-4-1): Daniel Zagorac – Stefan Ristovski, Maxime Bernauer, Sadegh Moharrami, Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel – Maxime Bernauer – Marko Rog, Luka Stojkovic, Martin Baturina, Branko Pavić – Lukas Kačavenda.
Arsenal
The Gunners have faced challenges in the current Champions League only against Serie A representatives – a draw with Atalanta (0-0) and a defeat to Inter (0-1). In the other group stage matches, the Londoners have only secured victories: wins over Shakhtar Donetsk (1-0) and Sporting (5-1), as well as against 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 place in the playoffs.
Forwards Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka, as well as defenders Takehiro Tomiyasu, William Saliba, and Ben White, will miss the game due to injuries.
- At least one team did not score in 6 of Arsenal's last 7 Champions League matches.
- No more than three goals were 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 spot that allows progression to the Champions League playoffs. Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming match, Dinamo will not lose their chance to advance to the next round. However, it should be noted that the two victories Zagreb achieved in this European competition were against Champions League outsiders – Salzburg (2-0) and Slovan Bratislava (4-1). The club also has draws against Monaco (2-2) and Celtic (0-0).
Defender Kevin Théophile-Catherine, midfielder Petar Sučić, and forward Bruno Petković will miss the match due to injuries.
- The team has not lost in 7 of their last 9 Champions League matches (4 wins and 3 draws).
- At least three goals were scored in 7 of Dinamo's last 10 games in this European competition.
- The number "2" appeared in the final score in 6 of Zagreb's last 7 away matches in this tournament.
Arsenal vs. Dinamo Zagreb: Match Prediction
The Balkan side has decent records in the Champions League, although they have mainly been achieved against lower-ranked opponents. Whenever the Croatians face a serious opponent, they tend to suffer a defeat by two or more goals. This was evident in the current Champions League campaign, where the team lost to Bayern (2-9) and Borussia Dortmund (0-3). I predict the visitors will not only fail to earn points but also lose by a narrow margin.
The Gunners aim to secure their place in the next round of the tournament now. 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 visit Girona, who are strong at home and unlikely to allow Mikel Arteta's men 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 Champions League matches with a clean sheet in regular time, and in five of these, they won by a margin of two or more goals. My prediction: Arsenal with a handicap (-2)
