The hallowed grounds of Emirates Stadium welcome the illustrious Champions League football once again in the illustrious year of 2025, as the valiant Dinamo Zagreb graces us with their presence. A glorious victory could etch our name into the annals of history, securing our esteemed place among the elite in the grand spectacle of the last 16!
Envision a triumphant ascent, where three illustrious points propel us to a dazzling total of 16, intricately weaving a mathematical tapestry that could deliver us a regal passage to the next stage. Our fortress at home has been a bastion of strength since the dawn of last season, standing resolute and formidable. No other team has claimed more majestic victories on home soil in the Champions League than our seven, nor has any other matched our illustrious record of seven immaculate clean sheets. Now, the esteemed Dinamo set foot on our hallowed grounds, embarking on their inaugural competitive venture in a month-long hiatus, courtesy of the Croatian league's winter reprieve, adorned with a fresh tactician at the helm, the venerable Fabio Cannavaro. With only two friendly skirmishes to acclimatize his new ensemble, this Italian icon yearns to galvanize his troops towards an awe-inspiring third consecutive away triumph in the Champions League, which would illuminate their path toward the coveted play-off round.
Dinamo's Domestic disarray
With an awe-inspiring total of seven consecutive league titles under their belt, Dinamo stands at the precipice of an extraordinary challenge, battling fiercely for an eighth triumph in 2025. Navigating through turbulent waters with their third manager of the season, they find themselves in a commendable third place, yet trailing by a daunting seven points from the coveted summit, having tasted victory only once in their last six encounters. Enter Cannavaro, the master tactician, tasked just last month with the monumental quest to resurrect their fortunes and carve a pathway into the illustrious knockout rounds of the Champions League. A staggering 9-2 defeat to Bayern Munich—a calamitous lowmark—led to the departure of Sergej Jakirovic, while Nenad Bjelica, despite facing domestic challenges, ignited a spark of brilliance within his squad in European battles. As they embark on this formidable matchweek, Dinamo clings desperately to the 24th and final qualifying berth, with a mere eight points to their name. A heartbreaking last-minute penalty thwarted their victory against Monaco, followed by commendable conquests away at Salzburg and Slovan Bratislava. However, a resounding 3-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund cast a shadow, before they valiantly held Celtic to a stalemate in their recent continental clash.
Cannavaro: "Mikel, a revered architect of success, has orchestrated the grand symphony of this club for an illustrious span of four or five years. Naturally, I fervently wish for him to claim every coveted trophy, for he undeniably deserves a cornucopia of accolades and honors that celebrate his remarkable journey!"
Team news
In a grand turn of events, the formidable William Saliba shall miss this vital clash, having endured the trials of a hamstring setback that sidelined him during Saturday's riveting 2-2 spectacle against Aston Villa. The valiant Riccardo Calafiori, too, remains absent, having been beleaguered by a muscular affliction that has thwarted his participation in the last three encounters and continues to be scrupulously monitored. Meanwhile, the tenacious Bukayo Saka grapples with his own hamstring woes, while stalwart defenders Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and the indomitable Gabriel Jesus contend with knee tribulations, alongside Ethan Nwaneri navigating groin-related challenges—all confined to the sidelines. The illustrious reigning Croatian Footballer of the Year, Bruno Petkovic, has been thwarted in his quest for glory, missing both of Dinamo's recent friendly duels due to his own groin dilemma, rendering him unavailable to spearhead the attack. Adding to the roster of absentees, the promising Petar Sucic, a rising star in the national team, also languished in the shadows during those matches. Furthermore, the valiant defenders Sadegh Moharrami and Mauro Perkovic, initially edged out of the competition by injury, though returned to fitness, remain shackled by ineligibility. Recent acquisitions Niko Galesic and Bartol Franjic find themselves in similar constraints, casting a shadow over the squad's aspirations.
Talking tactics
In the illustrious words of Adrian Clarke, chronicled within the sacred pages of the official matchday programme: Cannavaro, once the target of critiques for his defensive approach, transformed that very style into an emblem of strength when he stepped into the interim leadership at Udinese last April. Over the course of six magnificent matches, this squad emerged as a fortress, allowing a mere five goals to penetrate their defenses. Favored by a strategic 3-5-2 formation, this tactical masterpiece finds perfect harmony with Zagreb, which has wielded a back three in four of their six Champions League encounters. With an average possession of merely 37% in this grand competition, they elegantly absorb pressure in their own territory before unleashing impeccably timed counter-attacks. Remarkably, three of their ten goals in the league phase have sprouted from swift breaks, setting the stage for excitement. In the qualifying rounds and beyond, Dinamo has magnificently scored two or more goals in all four of their European away adventures, suggesting their counter-attacking prowess flourishes on foreign grounds. Their offensive forays, particularly down the right flank where the dynamic full-back Stefan Ristovski and the electrifying winger Dario Spikic engage, present a vivid threat. Yet, when facing elite adversaries, Dinamo's defensive shield has shown vulnerabilities. Outmaneuvered with alarming ease against sophisticated movements, they have grappled to halt the torrent of scoring opportunities created by their rivals. Additionally, defending corners has proven to be precarious, as the Croatians have encountered multiple instances of conceding goals from such scenarios.
Facts and stats
Triumphant echoes resound as we revel in our commanding victories, conquering our last two Champions League duels with a resounding flourish, vanquishing opponents by three or more glorious goals! A feat yet unachieved in three consecutive European Cup encounters, a momentous occasion only tasted once before in the grandity of major European tournaments - a remarkable string of four victories in the illustrious 2020/21 Europa League campaign.
In the chronicles of football, no Croatian masterpiece has unfolded victorious on English soil within the revered realms of the European Cup or Champions League, with the illustrious Dinamo Zagreb, on four noble missions, standing as our only pursuer of this elusive dream.
In the vast theatre of English football, within nine daunting major European away confrontations, our valiant Dinamo has tasted triumph only once (D2 L6), but oh, what a victory it was! A stunning 1-0 conquest over West Ham in the Europa League’s chill of December 2021.
In this season’s fierce battle of Champions League exploits, Zagreb has unleashed a ferocious assault, tallying 10 goals from 42 precise efforts in their initial four matches. Yet, like a phoenix seeking to rise, they have found the net barren, unable to score from a total of 16 shots in the aftermath of their last two challenges.
With jubilant hearts, we celebrate our last two Champions League sojourns as victories, matching the number of triumphs and points in our quest as we did across the entirety of our previous 25 away affairs in this exhilarating contest. Eight mighty goals have been penned in the annals of our three away games this season, merely two shy of the accomplishments of our eight prior campaigns combined (10).
Only the legendary Jamie Gittens of Borussia Dortmund, clutching 4 away Champions League goals, has soared higher than our very own Sandro Kulenovic, who dazzles with 3 stunning strikes.
We proudly stand amongst an elite company, one of just two teams this season who have yet to surrender a single open-play goal in this glorious competition, alongside the stately Inter Milan. Moreover, as a testament to our tenacious defense, we stand tall amongst the three teams that have yet to convert from set pieces, though we bear the weight of having conceded the most from such situations (7).
Match officials
German referee Daniel Siebert takes charge of this game, who has been a Bundeliga referee since 2012 and two years later was added to the FIFA list. A part-time teacher, he refereed at Euro 2020, the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024.
His only previous Arsenal game was a 3-1 victory at Olympiakos in the Europa League last 16 back in March 2021. He has refereed 23 matches in all competitions this season, issuing just over five yellows a game, while he has awarded nine penalties and sent off six players.
Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Assistants: Jan Seidel, Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Fourth official: Daniel Schlager (GER)
VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
Assistant VAR: Bram Van Driessche (BEL)
Previous encounters
Fab Fabregas | Dinamo Zagreb 0-3 Arsenal | 2006/07
We have twice been drawn against Dinamo in the Champions League. Our first encounters came in 2006/07 qualifiers, and we secured a 3-0 success in Croatia with Cesc Fabregas bagging a brace, either side of a Robin van Persie goal. In the first-ever European game at Emirates Stadium, future Gunner Eduardo pulled one back before Freddie Ljungberg and Mathieu Flamini turned things around against a Zagreb side boasting a young Luka Modric.
Nine years later we met in the group stages, and Dinamo beat an English side for the first time in the competition with a 2-1 home win, on a night when Olivier Giroud was sent off. But we came back with a 3-0 success two months later when Alexis Sanchez netted twice and Mesut Ozil also got on the scoresheet.
This content is sourced from Arsenal Official.
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