Bayern Munich will host Dinamo Zagreb at Alianz Arena in their opening game of the new UEFA Champions League edition. The Bavarians enter this game on a great run of form, with eight wins in a row, including pre-season friendlies, while the guests have struggled lately and failed to win their last three games, losing twice in a row.
With all four wins since the start of the season, Bayern Munich seem poised to keep this form going against Dinamo Zagreb, who had to go through the qualifiers to reach the league phase in this new format of the most prestigious European competition.
On their way to the Champions League, Dinamo Zagreb have eliminated Qarabag, beating them in both games and putting five goals past them in total without conceding any.
Still, it's hard to see a scenario in which Bayern Munich doesn't beat Dinamo Zagreb and it will likely be a convincing win, especially since the Bavarians are flying high after they've demolished Holstein Kiel 6-1 over the weekend.
How the bookies view it: No doubt about the winner
With the odds of Bayern Munich winning currently at 1/9 with Betfred, it's clear that there is little doubt about the outcome of this game. However, if you don't agree with the bookies and want to back Dinamo Zagreb, you can do so at eye-popping 16/1 odds, while the draw is priced at 9/1.
Head to head: Bayern with the advantage
Bayern and Dinamo Zagreb have met four times before and their last two meetings came in 2015 when the Bavarians won both matches in the Champions League group, 2-0 and 5-0.
However, if we go way back to the 1962/1963 season when Bayern Munich and Dinamo Zagreb played each other in the quarter-finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Dinamo won 4-1 in Munich and then the teams drew 0-0 in Zagreb.
Players to watch: Kane looking to extend his amazing form
With five goals in four games this season, including the hat-trick against Holstein Kiel over the weekend, Harry Kane has been doing it all for the Bavarians and he'll be hoping to start the new Champions League season in the same manner, with the odds of Kane scoring anytime currently at 1/2 at Betfred.
Meanwhile, Dinamo Zagreb will count on Marko Pjaca to make a difference in this game after he did so against Qarabag too, scoring a couple of goals in that tie to help Dinamo reach the league phase of the Champions League. The odds on Pjaca scoring a goal in this game are 8/1 at Betfred.
Probable line-ups
The Bavarian's boss Vincent Kompany will have most of his men available in this game, including Leroy Sane who returned to the team against Holstein Kiel last weekend. However, Josip Stanisic, Hiroki Ito, and Tarek Buchmann will remain on the sidelines with injuries.
Meanwhile, Dinamo's coach Sergej Jakirovic won't be able to count on Sadegh Moharrami, Mauro Perkovic, and Dino Peric.
Bayern Munich: Neuer, Kimmich, Kim, Upamecano, Guerreiro, Pavlovic, Palhinha, Olise, Musiala, Gnabry, Kane
Dinamo Zagreb: Nevisitic, Ristovski, Theophile-Catherine, Mmaee, Pierre-Gabriel, Ademi, Sucic, Cordoba, Baturina, Pjaca, Petkovic
Anything else catch the eye?
We mentioned that Kane scoring at any time has odds of 1/2, but if you back the Englishman to score first, you can bet a price of 12/5 at Betfred, which sounds like a good bet to try.
The last time Bayern Munich hosted Dinamo Zagreb, they won the match 5-0, so backing the Bavarians to win with three or more goals at 5/6 odds also sounds tempting.
This UEFA Champions League match between Bayern Munich and Dinamo Zagreb will be played on Sep 17, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Bayern Munich vs Dinamo Zagreb prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
