Dinamo Zagreb hosts Valur in the first leg of the Champions League qualification 1/8 finals. The match will be played on Wednesday, July 7th at Stadion Maksimir (Zagreb)
Dinamo Zagreb has been showing a game at the level of a strong middle peasant in the last couple of years! The times when Dinamo lost to rather mediocre opponents with a score like 0-6 are long gone. In the previous season, the Blues reached the quarterfinals of the Europa League and lost in the fight to the future champion Villarreal. Of course, Dinamo Zagreb will be a big favorite at the starting stages of qualification, and surely many are waiting for this team in the Champions League group. The Croatian championship has not started yet, so it's hard to say something about the team. The transfer policy is quite active, and the players come and go. Bookmakers believe in the hosts very strongly, and this is understandable, because they will play against modest Valur, which is usually eliminated at the starting stages of qualification.
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Valur became the champion of the country three times in four previous seasons. But the team's successes end on the territory of Icelandic football, and they frankly fail in the European cups. In 2019, when the Reds last tried their hand in the European arena, they were hammered by Maribor in the first round of the Champions League qualification (0-5 on aggregate). And then the Icelanders lost to Ludogorets in the Europa League qualifiers (1-5). Now they were also frankly unlucky with the opponent. Valur will have to play against the powerful Dinamo Zagreb, and there is no reason to count on the intrigue to survive until the 2nd leg. I think that the Icelandic champion will suffer a major defeat in Croatia.
The class of teams is completely different, and I think that, despite the lack of playing practice due to a pause in the national championship, Dinamo is still capable of deciding the fate of the confrontation in the first leg. Bookmakers give a very small coefficient on the Blues’ victory, and it is quite possible to agree with such a decision. I decided to bet on the hosts to win with a -1.5 handicap.
Prediction for the match: Dinamo Zagreb to win with -1.5 handicap
