The Matchday 8 clash in the 2024/25 Champions League group stage between Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) and AC Milan (Italy) will take place on January 29 at the Maksimir Stadium. Dinamo Zagreb vs. AC Milan: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Dinamo Zagreb
In the previous round, Fabio Cannavaro's team was unable to challenge Arsenal away (0-3). As a result, Dinamo has not won in three consecutive Champions League matches (1 draw, 2 losses). Moreover, the club has not scored a single goal in this stretch. The Croatians are currently 26th in the standings with 8 points and still have a chance to qualify for the playoffs. To advance to the next round, they need to defeat the Italians and hope for slip-ups from their competitors.
Midfielder Petar Sucic and forward Bruno Petkovic will miss the match due to injuries. Midfielder Lukas Kacavenda is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
- The club has not won in regular time in 6 of their last 8 home matches in the Champions League (3 draws, 3 losses).
- At least one of the opponents failed to score in 90 minutes in 5 of Dinamo's last 7 home matches in this European competition.
- The Croatians have not conceded in the first half in 5 of their last 6 home games in the Champions League.
AC Milan
Sergio Conceicao's side defeated Girona 1-0 at home in the last round. As a result, AC Milan secured their fifth consecutive victory in the Champions League. Moreover, the club kept a clean sheet for the first time in the group stage. The Italians have accumulated 15 points and climbed to sixth in the standings, securing a place in the playoffs. A victory could earn them a direct ticket to the Round of 16.
Defenders Malick Thiaw, Emerson Royal, and Alessandro Florenzi, as well as midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, will miss the match due to injuries. Defender Davide Calabria is suspended. Additionally, defender Kyle Walker, who recently joined AC Milan, is ineligible to play in the group stage.
- The team has not lost in regular time in 7 of their last 10 away matches in the Champions League (4 wins, 3 draws).
- The club has conceded a maximum of one goal in 90 minutes in 8 of their last 10 away games in this European competition.
- The number "1" has appeared in the scoreline at the end of regular time in 9 of AC Milan's last 10 matches in the Champions League.
Predicted lineups for Dinamo Zagreb vs. AC Milan
Dinamo Zagreb (5-4-1): Ivan Nevistic – Stefan Ristovski, Raul Torrente, Sami Mmaee, Sadegh Moharrami, Ronael Pierre-Gabriel – Marko Rog, Luka Stojkovic, Martin Baturina, Arijan Ademi – Sandro Kulenovic.
AC Milan (4-3-3): Mike Maignan – Theo Hernandez, Matteo Gabbia, Strahinja Pavlovic, Fikayo Tomori – Tijjani Reijnders, Yunus Musah, Youssouf Fofana – Christian Pulisic, Alvaro Morata, Rafael Leao.
Referee: Francois Letexier (France)
Matches – 7 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 39;
Average yellow cards per match – 5.6;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 19;
Penalties – 57%.
Dinamo Zagreb vs. AC Milan: Match Prediction
The Croatians don't often secure positive results in the Champions League, but at home, they strive to play until the end and boldly push forward. In their last 12 home matches in the Champions League, Dinamo players have only left the field without scoring on three occasions, and in six instances, the team has scored at least two goals. Meanwhile, their defense has not been performing well, conceding 18 goals in the group stage – only five clubs have a worse record.
AC Milan has shown quality in attack in recent away matches in the Champions League, scoring three goals each against Real Madrid and Slovan. Since Sergio Conceicao took over as head coach, Milan has scored 12 goals in seven matches across all competitions and failed to score only once – against Juventus in Serie A. However, defensively, the club often makes mistakes and has only kept a clean sheet once during this period, conceding a total of nine goals.
I expect this to be a high-scoring match, so my prediction: Total over 3 goals
