Dinamo Zagreb v NEC Nijmegen: Europa League Prediction

Whilst Ajax lost to Hajduk Split last week, another Dutch team is set to face a Croatian powerhouse this week. On Thursday evening, NEC Nijmegen will play an away match against Dinamo Zagreb, the team that won the league title last year. NEC are going through a very poor run of form and recorded their last victory back in August. Partly as a result of this, the Nijmegen side have just one point from two matches in the Europa League. Can they secure their first win in the Europa League? We’ll tell you more about this match and give you our Dinamo Zagreb v NEC Nijmegen prediction.

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Dinamo Zagreb v NEC Nijmegen preview

On Thursday evening, you’ll be sitting with your plate on your lap, as Dinamo Zagreb v NEC Nijmegen kicks off at 6.45 pm. Whilst NEC Nijmegen have just one point, the Croatians have already picked up four. They beat Anderlecht at home and picked up a point away at Hapoel Be’er Sheva. Will Dick Schreuder’s side hand the team from the Croatian capital their first defeat?

Current Form & Team News

Dinamo Zagreb

Following Dinamo Zagreb’s 1–2 defeat to Hajduk Split, the mood was rather gloomy for a while. Especially as this meant the reigning national champions were no longer top of the Croatian league. However, the past week has been brilliant once again. First, they beat Anderlecht 1–0, after which Mario Kovacevic’s side won 5–1 away at Slaven Belupo last weekend. Dion Beljo, in particular, made an excellent impression, scoring twice and providing one assist in the first half. Can he do the same against NEC Nijmegen?

NEC Nijmegen

After the international break, NEC Nijmegen secured an impressive 1-1 draw away at Ajax. This seemed to have restored some confidence to the Gelderland side. And yet, things didn’t go entirely smoothly in the two matches that followed. Midweek, a home match against Levski Sofia ended in a 1-1 draw, whilst last Sunday evening they were very fortunate to come away with a late equaliser against Fortuna Sittard: 2-2. It is clear that we are seeing a different NEC to last season, something undoubtedly down to the heavy fixture list and injuries. Can they bounce back and finally secure a win again?

Head-to-Head

18 years ago, Dinamo Zagreb and NEC played their only ever match against each other. That match ended in a 3-2 victory for Dinamo Zagreb, a result we cannot rule out in this edition either. Interestingly, one of the goalscorers was Mario Mandzukic, the striker who went on to play for Juventus and Atlético Madrid.

Predicted line-ups

Dinamo Zagreb (4-1-4-1):

Kotarski, Vinlof, Radeljic, Dominguez, Galesic, Misic, Hoxha, Ivanusec, Stojkovic, Almena, Beljo

NEC Nijmegen (3-4-2-1):

Crettaz, Fonville, Kaplan, Storm, Bischof, Monteiro, Nejasmic, Kerk, Tadic, Chery, Linssen

Dinamo Zagreb v NEC Nijmegen betting tips

Betting tip 1: Dinamo Zagreb to win

We reckon NEC will come away empty-handed from this match too. They’ve now failed to win seven times in a row, something Dinamo Zagreb will be only too happy to capitalise on. With the Croatians’ experience, and having picked up four points so far, we reckon the home side will set the Maksimir alight. This will earn you odds of 1.68.

Betting tip 2: NEC Nijmegen to score fewer than 0.5 goals

It’s worth noting that NEC have found scoring a bit more difficult this season. For instance, they scored just one goal in their last two Europa League matches. Add to that the fact that Dinamo Zagreb have yet to concede a single goal in Europe’s second-tier competition, and there’s a good chance NEC won’t score. We’re taking a chance on this and backing under 0.5 goals for the visitors. This gives you odds of 2.85.

Prediction: Dinamo Zagreb v NEC Nijmegen

Final score: Dinamo Zagreb 2–0 NEC Nijmegen
We reckon the Croatian champions will beat NEC Nijmegen 2–0. NEC are going through a particularly tough spell, whilst Dinamo Zagreb have won four of their last five matches. What’s your prediction?