Dinamo Zagreb vs AC Milan

Resurgent AC Milan head to the Stadion Maksimir to encounter Dinamo Zagreb in a high-stakes Champions League showdown.

Dinamo Zagreb’s chances of becoming the first Croatian side to reach the Champions League knockouts in 30 years are in tatters despite amassing seven points from the opening four rounds (W2, D1, L1). Indeed, a three-game winless run without finding the back of the net (D1, L2) leaves them perilously in the drop zone heading into the league-phase finale. Fabio Cannavaro’s touchline debut in the Champions League went all wrong as Arsenal thumped Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 last time out, leaving them two points adrift of the playoff spots. Therefore, anything other than an unlikely win against Milan could result in a heartbreaking elimination. However, the hosts haven’t won any of their last five home matches in this competition (D3, L2), exposing them to the risk of setting their worst home run at Europe’s top table in over a decade.

Visiting AC Milan will be out to take advantage of their hosts’ downfall and lock down a place in the round of 16 after bookending their third-ever five-game winning streak in the Champions League with a gutsy 1-0 home win against Girona last time out. Confidence in the traveling camp skyrocketed at the weekend as they scored twice in second-half stoppages to beat Parma 3-2 in Serie A. More inspiration comes from the visitors’ six-game winning H2H record against Dinamo Zagreb, accompanied by an emphatic aggregate score of 17-3. New boss Sergio Conceicao has got ‘I Rossoneri’ back on track, inspiring them to seven unbeaten matches in his first eight in charge of the club (W5, D2, L1), with four of those five wins seeing them fight back from losing positions.