Predictions Champions League - Red Bull Salzburg vs Dinamo Zagreb

Champions League - Red Bull Salzburg vs Dinamo Zagreb
Match Time:  24-10-2024 02:00 Thursday (GMT+7)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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Now that the new manager bounce has worn off, Salzburg have been on a downward spiral under the wing of former Liverpool assistant Lijnders, whose former superior Jurgen Klopp will soon be helping with operations in Salzburg as Red Bull's new Head of Global Soccer.

A dash of inspiration from the German cannot come quickly enough, as Salzburg have already been humiliated by two modest opponents in Europe so far, going down 3-0 to Sparta Prague on the opening matchday before Brest hit them for four without reply earlier this month.

With zero points, zero goals and seven conceded at the other end, the juvenile Austrians - who join Bologna, Shakhtar Donetsk and BSC Young Boys as one of just four teams waiting for a first goal of the league phase - are 34th in the 36-team UCL rankings, only performing better than Young Boys and Slovan Bratislava so far.

Formerly picking up customary Austrian Bundesliga titles for fun, Salzburg's powers have also waned domestically over the past year as they lie fourth in the early-season standings, although they have two games in hand on leaders Sturm Graz, whom they are six points adrift of.

A nervy 2-1 win over Rhiendorf Altach - where two goals in the final 10 minutes reversed a 1-0 deficit - could not have been more timely for the Austrian powerhouses, who are at risk of suffering a sixth straight home loss in the Champions League proper, although they did conquer FC Twente and Dynamo Kiev in qualifying.

As Salzburg were ruthlessly put to the sword by French opposition on matchday two, Dinamo Zagreb fans could have been forgiven for expecting their side to suffer a similar fate against Monaco, having witnessed Bayern Munich blow their players to smithereens in a 9-2 obliteration on matchday one.

The visit of Les Monegasques was excruciating for different reasons, though, as the Croatian side were on track for an unexpected win when Petar Sucic and Martin Baturina put them two goals to the good, only for Dinamo Zagreb to throw their advantage away as Mohammed Salisu and Denis Zakaria dramatically drew Monaco level.

It was all too much for furious manager Nenad Bjelica, who got himself sent off right at the death for two bookable offences as the Citizens were forced to settle for a point, albeit an applaudable one as they rose to 28th in the embryonic Champions League standings.

Ironically, it was Bjelica's men who had to strike late to salvage a 2-2 draw with Istra 1961 in league action at the weekend, a result that stretched their unbeaten run in all competitions to five matches but left them four points behind leaders Hadjuk Split in the Croatian top-flight table.

Scoring 16 goals and conceding a whopping 19 across their last seven games, Dinamo Zagreb have been full value for money entertainment-wise and now prepare to meet Salzburg for the ninth time all told, but the Croatians have only won one of their eight head-to-heads so far.

Prediction: Red Bull Salzburg 2-2 Dinamo Zagreb