Having earned a win in Spain, Dinamo Zagreb will be looking to do the double as they host Real Betis in their Europa Conference League playoff first leg. Both teams have looked solid at the back lately, high means another low scoring encounter could be on the cards.
Dinamo Zagreb hold a slim advantage heading into Thursday’s clash after claiming a 1-0 victory in the first leg. They put up a superb defensive display, beating back several attacks by the Spaniards before Bruno Petkovic sealed the win with a penalty midway through the second half.
That result extends Dinamo Zagreb’s recent good form as they have lost just once in their last 18 matches across all competitions, claiming 14 wins in that run. That run has been driven by a sturdy defence in the last few weeks having kept four clean sheets in the last five matches.
Stadion Maksimir has also been a fortress for Dinamo Zagreb who are unbeaten in nine of their last 10 home matches across all competitions. Sergej Jakirovic’s men have picked up eight wins in that run, including a 1-0 victory over Varazdin in a domestic fixture last weekend.
Real Betis will be disappointed to have come away empty handed from the first leg after dominating the contest. They saw more of the ball and created a few chances but could not get past a solid Dinamo backline.
While manager Manuel Pellegrini will feel his team could have done a bit better, the result is consistent with Real Betis’ recent form. They have claimed just one win from their last four matches, failing to score in the last two in that run having been held 0-0 by Alaves in a La Liga fixture last weekend.
A small positive for Real Betis ahead of the trip to Zagreb is that they have done some good work on their recent travels. The Spaniards have won their last two away matches, keeping clean sheets in both fixtures.
How the bookies view it
The bookies appear to be expecting a closely fought encounter with a win for Dinamo Zagreb priced at 9/5 by bet365 while BoyleSports is offering 8/5 for a Real Betis victory. A draw is set at odds of 12/5 by Betfred.
Head to head
There are no previous meetings prior to last week’s first leg which ended 1-0 in favour of Dinamo Zagreb.
Players to watch
Dinamo Zagreb’s recent form has been driven by a sturdy defence that has had shutouts in four of their last five matches. Maximum Bernauer and Kevin Theophile-Catherine often partner at centre-back and can lead the Croats to another clean sheet at 9/4 with bet365.
Real Betis have also kept things tight at the back on their recent travels with clean sheets in their last two away matches. German Pezzella could continue in the heart of the defence and can lead the Spaniards to a similar outcome at 2/1 with BoyleSports.
Anything else catch the eye?
With Dinamo Zagreb and Real Betis looking solid defensively, BTTS NO could be considered at 20/21 with BetVictor. The first meeting produced under 2.5 goals and a similar outcome is priced at 7/10 with William Hill.
There was a halftime draw in the first meeting and a repeat is valued at 11/10 by Paddy Power.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between Dinamo Zagreb and Real Betis will be played on Feb 22, 2024 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Dinamo Zagreb vs Real Betis prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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