Dinamo Zagreb vs NEC - prediction, team news, lineups

GNK Dinamo Zagreb big NEC Nijmegen astatine Stadion Maksimir successful the Europa League league signifier connected Thursday, with kick-off astatine 6.45pm section time.

Dinamo are 14th successful the 36-team array connected 4 points aft a goalless gully against Hapoel Beer Sheva, played successful Bucharest, and a 1-0 triumph implicit Anderlecht, which keeps them wrong the play-off places, portion NEC are 27th connected 1 constituent aft a 5-0 decision astatine Juventus and a 1-1 gully astatine location to Levski Sofia.

The sides person met lone erstwhile before, successful the UEFA Cup radical signifier connected October 23, 2008, erstwhile Dinamo won 3-2 astatine Maksimir aft trailing to a stoppage-chasing NEC side.

Match preview

Dinamo Zagreb finished past play with the Croatian league and cupful treble nether Mario Kovacevic, racking up 86 league points and 93 goals, yet Europe remains the brushed spot successful their game, with lone 3 wins from 10 Europa League matches and a 6-4 aggregate decision to Genk successful the knockout play-offs.

This play Dinamo again missed retired connected the Champions League, drafting 2-2 with Viking astatine Maksimir connected August 18 and losing 3-1 successful Stavanger 8 days later, a 5-3 aggregate decision that sent them into the Europa League.

Their league signifier has been abbreviated connected goals, with Dion Beljo's stoppage-time punishment against Anderlecht connected October 15 lasting arsenic their archetypal extremity of the run aft the goalless gully successful Bucharest against Hapoel Beer Sheva.

Domestically, the Blues beryllium 2nd successful the Croatian league, having mislaid 4-2 astatine Osijek connected September 12 and 2-1 astatine Hajduk Split connected October 10, erstwhile Beljo's 21st-minute extremity was cancelled retired by a Scott McKenna ain extremity earlier Abdoulie Sanyang, known to Hajduk fans arsenic Bamba, scored the victor successful the 59th minute.

Dinamo answered that decision with a 5-1 triumph astatine Slaven Belupo connected October 18, a effect that restored content earlier this travel into Europe.

Pressure had built connected Kovacevic done the aboriginal rounds, and helium admitted earlier the Anderlecht crippled that respective players were beneath past season's level portion insisting the squad would travel good.

NEC Nijmegen, led by Dick Schreuder, are playing successful Europe for the archetypal clip since the 2008-09 UEFA Cup, aft finishing 3rd successful the Eredivisie past play connected 59 points, the champion decorativeness successful the club's history.

They bushed Olympiacos 2-1 connected aggregate successful the Champions League 3rd qualifying circular earlier losing the play-off necktie to Bodo/Glimt: a 3-1 decision astatine location successful the archetypal limb was compounded by a 3-0 decision successful Norway, sending Bodo done 6-1 connected aggregate and NEC into the Europa League.

The Europa League run began with a 5-0 decision astatine Juventus connected September 17 and continued with a 1-1 gully against Levski Sofia astatine location connected October 15, erstwhile Reinaldo's 35th-minute opener was cancelled retired successful the 64th infinitesimal aft Levski goalkeeper Svetoslav Vutsov played a escaped walk consecutive to Tjarron Chery, who had lone to rotation it into an bare net.

NEC person scored 2 goals and conceded 12 crossed their past 4 games successful Europe, and Schreuder's connection aft that tally has repeatedly centred connected inexpensive goals conceded against the tally of wide play.

In the Eredivisie NEC beryllium 12th connected the array aft a 2-2 location gully with Fortuna Sittard connected October 18, a effect that extended a winless tally to eight, stretching backmost respective weeks successful each competitions.

Dusan Tadic, the 37-year-old erstwhile Ajax skipper who joined NEC connected a two-year woody arsenic a escaped cause from Al-Wahda, drew the ire of location supporters earlier the 1-1 gully astatine Ajax connected October 10 aft saying Ajax remained his modular and being work arsenic captious of his ain team-mates' level, and NEC fans responded with banners and whistles during that game.

Dinamo Zagreb Europa League form:

Dinamo Zagreb signifier (all competitions):

NEC Europa League form:

NEC signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Dinamo Zagreb person nary confirmed absentees for the NEC game.

Luka Stojkovic has started Dinamo's past 3 matches crossed competitions, including some legs of the Champions League play-off against Viking successful August and the 5-1 triumph astatine Slaven Belupo connected October 18, and looks acceptable to proceed alongside skipper Josip Misic and summertime signing Kirill Kravtsov successful midfield.

Beljo is the subordinate to watch, having scored 38 goals successful each competitions past season, including 31 successful the league, and helium has already reached treble figures for the existent campaign, with his stoppage-time punishment settling the Anderlecht crippled and a brace astatine Slaven Belupo among his caller contributions.

Goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski, a summertime signing, has kept cleanable sheets successful some of Dinamo's Europa League matches truthful far.

For the visitors, Tadic is simply a uncertainty aft being substituted precocious successful the Levski Sofia crippled with a limb problem; helium sat retired the Fortuna Sittard draw, and Dutch reports suggest NEC are treating his betterment cautiously alternatively than rushing him backmost for Zagreb.

Bram Nuytinck is retired with an ankle injury, and Philippe Sandler has besides been troubled by wounded this month, leaving Schreuder abbreviated of elder options astatine the backmost of a three-man defence that has shipped 12 goals successful NEC's past 4 European outings.

Emre Mor has been nursing a groin complaint, portion Tjarron Chery is expected to commencement aft being rested domestically.

Dinamo Zagreb imaginable starting lineup:

Kotarski; Galesic, Dominguez, Radeljic, Vinlof; Misic, Ivanusec, Almena, Stojkovic, Rodriguez; Beljo

NEC imaginable starting lineup:

Crettaz; Bras, Schuurs, Fonville; Kers, Nejasmic, Lebreton, Storm; Chery, Monteiro, Linssen

We say: Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 NEC

Dinamo are the prime due to the fact that NEC's defence has been the anemic constituent of their European campaign, conceding six goals successful 2 games, with Nuytinck and Sandler some unavailable astatine centre-back and Fonville and Kaplan managing knocks of their ain aft starting astatine the weekend.

Dinamo person problems of their own, having scored lone erstwhile successful 2 Europa League matches, but Beljo's goalscoring signifier and Kotarski's grounds of 2 cleanable sheets from 2 European games springiness them a steadier instauration than a NEC broadside that whitethorn beryllium without its main creator successful Tadic.

NEC should inactive find the net, having scored successful six of their past 8 matches crossed competitions, and their gait successful modulation makes them a unrecorded menace connected the counter, which is wherefore a constrictive location triumph looks a amended telephone than a comfy one.

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