Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Champions League match.
The full return of Aleksandr Golovin to AS Monaco's squad after his injury is helping the coaching staff find the optimal combinations for the trip to face Dinamo Zagreb. The Croatian side failed defensively against Bayern Munich (2:9)—a debacle that cost Sergej Jakirović his job as head coach, and it's unlikely the new specialist will have enough time to prepare for AS Monaco.
Dinamo Zagreb
In that match in Munich, Dinamo Zagreb seemed to get back into the game after being down 0:3 in the first half (Bruno Petković and Takuya Ogiwara scored within a minute), but they then conceded five unanswered goals. An xGA of 6.13 from 29 allowed shots highlighted the complete failure of Zagreb's defence. The defensive issues continued in their domestic league: they conceded a total of six goals in matches against Slaven Belupo (1:4), NK Banjole (3:1), and Lokomotiva Zagreb (5:1).
AS Monaco
AS Monaco had some luck with an early red card for Eric Garcia against Barcelona, but even at full strength, the Catalan side would have struggled (2:1). On Saturday, AS Monaco managed to defeat Montpellier Hérault (2:1)—a victory marking their fourth consecutive win since the international break. In terms of xG, only Paris Saint-Germain have been better in Ligue 1 (14.97 compared to 19.13). So, in Croatia, AS Monaco will likely be very offensive.
Dinamo Zagreb vs AS Monaco Prediction
The only absentee for the favourites is backup winger Sofiane Diop, so AS Monaco will create numerous goal-scoring opportunities against Dinamo Zagreb. We're going for a clear away win.
