Bayern Munich, who reached the semi-finals of the last Champions League but were eliminated by Real Madrid in a dramatic match at the Bernabéu, are now focused on reclaiming their place at the top of European football.
The club’s last Champions League triumph came in 2020 during the Final-8 in Portugal, where they defeated Lyon in the semi-final and PSG in the final.
Now, Bayern are eager to win back the German Bundesliga title, which they lost to Bayer Leverkusen last season, and also aim to secure the German Cup, which they haven’t won since 2020 during their historic sextuplet season. Under Vincent Kompany’s management, Bayern have made a strong start to the current campaign, winning their first two Bundesliga matches against Wolfsburg (3-2) and Freiburg (2-0).
On the other side, Dinamo Zagreb had to go through the preliminary rounds to secure their spot in Europe’s top competition.
They faced little resistance against Qarabag from Azerbaijan, winning 3-0 in the first leg and 2-0 in the return, comfortably advancing with a 5-0 aggregate score. While they were dominant in the Champions League playoffs, Dinamo’s domestic form has been less convincing.
Before the international break, they settled for a 1-1 draw against Rijeka in a top-of-the-table clash. Last weekend, they faced another tough match against Hajduk Split, the capital’s club.
Bayern Munich will be missing a few key players due to injuries, including Buchmann, Arijon Ibrahimovic, new signing Ito (formerly of Stuttgart), Daniel Peretz, and the influential Leroy Sané, who also missed Germany’s recent matches. However, Kompany can still rely on Kingsley Coman, who remains in top form after not being called up by the French national team.
Star striker Harry Kane (36 goals, 8 assists in the Bundesliga last season) is expected to lead the attack, alongside German internationals Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala. Young talents like Mathys Tel and recent signings like Michael Olise and Boey are also likely to feature.
Dinamo Zagreb will also be without some key defenders, with Peric, Jakirovic, and Perkovic expected to miss the trip to Germany. However, Macedonian forward Ristovski (who scored 2 goals in the league) has returned to the squad, alongside captain Ademi.
Striker Kulenovic, with 5 goals in 5 league matches, remains Dinamo’s primary attacking threat, supported by Albanian international Hoxha (2 goals) and French defender Pierre-Gabriel, who has played in Ligue 1 for clubs like Nantes, Strasbourg, and Brest. Fellow Frenchman Bernauer (formerly of Le Mans and Paris FC) is also expected to start.
Prediction
Bayern Munich have been involved in high-scoring matches at home in the Champions League recently, with ten of their last 11 games seeing at least three goals.
Similarly, Dinamo Zagreb’s away games at this level have produced plenty of goals, with six of their last seven featuring three or more. Expect another goal-filled encounter when these teams meet.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 2-2 Dinamo Zagreb
