Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb: betting odds 22 Jan 2025

The Matchday 7 clash in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League 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.

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): Danijel Zagorac – Stefan Ristovski, Kevin Theophile-Catherine, Sadegh Moharrami, Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel – Maxime Bernauer – Marko Rog, Luka Stojkovic, Martin Baturina, Branko Pavic – Lukas Kacavenda.

Arsenal

The Gunners have encountered difficulties in this Champions League campaign only against Serie A teams – drawing with Atalanta (0-0) and losing to Inter Milan (0-1). In all other group stage matches, the Londoners have been victorious: wins over Shakhtar Donetsk (1-0) and Sporting (5-1), as well as 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). A victory in this match would secure Arsenal's place in the playoffs.

Forwards Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka, midfielder Ethan Nwaneri, and defenders Takehiro Tomiyasu, William Saliba, and Ben White will miss out due to injuries.

• At least one team has failed to score in 6 of Arsenal's last 7 Champions League matches.
• No more than three goals have been 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 chances of advancing to the next round. However, it's worth noting that the two victories Zagreb has secured in this competition were against the Champions League underdogs – Salzburg (2-0) and Slovan Bratislava (4-1). The club also has draws with Monaco (2-2) and Celtic (0-0) to their credit.

Midfielders Josip Misic and forward Bruno Petkovic 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 have been scored in 7 of Dinamo's last 10 games in this European competition.
• The number "2" has appeared in the final scoreline in 6 of Zagreb's last 7 away matches in this tournament.

Arsenal vs. Dinamo Zagreb: Match Prediction

The Balkans have decent records in the Champions League, but these have mostly been achieved against low-ranked opponents. When the Croatians face a serious opponent, they tend to lose by two or more goals. This was the case in this Champions League season – the team fell to Bayern Munich (2-9) and Borussia Dortmund (0-3). I anticipate that the visitors will not only fail to earn points but also lose by a narrow margin.

The Gunners aim to secure their spot in the next round of the tournament right now. It is also important for the team to qualify directly for the last 16 of the Champions League. In the next round, the English side faces a trip to Girona, who are strong at home and unlikely to allow Mikel Arteta's team 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 matches in the Champions League with a clean sheet in regular time, with five of those wins by a margin of two or more goals. My prediction – Arsenal with a handicap (-2)