AEK Athens-Dinamo Zagreb is a match valid for the third qualifying round of the Champions League and is played Saturday at 8:45 p.m.: predictions.
In an armored Maksimir stadium with no fans, Aek Athens won the first round (1-2) match with Dinamo Zagreb last Tuesday, valid for the first leg of the third qualifying round of the next Champions League.
Originally, the match was to be played in the Greek capital, but due to fan incidents that forced Uefa to postpone the match last August 8 – a young Hellenic fan lost his life in the clashes – the field factor was reversed. The return leg will therefore be played at close quarters, with the playoff picture already set: the winner will face the Belgians of Antwerp, who are waiting to know with whom they will compete for one of the last passes to the coveted group stage. Aek Athens will now need only a draw to get through the round, while Dinamo must win by at least two goals to avoid extra time. In Croatia for a large part the balance reigned: Igor Biscan’s men took the lead in the first half through Bulat, but in the second half the Greek champions took the lead, first equalizing through Zuber and then making the entire stake their own, scoring the decisive goal in the 90′ through Galanopoulos.
Dynamo must win with two goals to spare
Guided by former Lazio and Parma midfielder Matias Almeyda, Aek Athens has yet to make its league debut.
Biscan
The opener had been scheduled for this weekend, but after the postponement of the match with Dinamo Zagreb, the Super League postponed the meeting with Panetolikos. Almost only wins so far for the Yellowonians, including friendlies: the only defeat came in July against Lokomotiva Zagreb. Dinamo, on the other hand, has already played three league matches – one loss, one win, and one draw – and had to overcome another preliminary, in which it beat Kazakhstan’s Astana in both the first leg and the return.
The prediction
In spite of not starting as favorites, Aek was able to subvert the predictions by snatching a victory of character, as well as invaluable for qualification purposes. Both teams appeared shaken by what happened a week earlier before the match, with Dinamo Zagreb underwhelmed also by the market rumors that are affecting its best players (Livakovic, Sutalo). It will not be easy for the Croatians to overturn the 2-1 loss in the first leg. Aek should be able to avoid defeat in another very balanced match with at least one goal on each side.
The probable lineups of AEK Athens-Dinamo Zagreb
- AEK ATHENS (4-4-2): Stankovic; Radonja, Vida, Mitoglou, Moukoudi; Amrabat, Pineda, Mantalos, Gacinovic; Ponce, Garcia.
- DINAMO ZAGABRIA (4-2-3-1): Livakovic; Moharrami, Ljubicic, Sutalo, Ristovski; Misic, Sucic; Ivanusec, Mykhailichenko, Spikic; Petkovic.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 3-1