Dinamo Zagreb are not a stranger for Azerbaijan.
According to Idman.biz, the club, where Azerbaijan’s national team forward Mahir Emreli played for three seasons, was also the team that blocked Qarabag’s path to the Champions League this summer.
After a record 2-9 defeat to Bayern Munich in the first round of the group stage, it was expected that the Croatian team would struggle among the outsiders. However, Dinamo Zagreb have not lost since then. They drew 2-2 at home with Monaco, defeated Salzburg 2-0 in Austria, and recently triumphed over Slovan in Slovakia with a 4-1 scoreline.
Currently, Dinamo Zagreb hold 7 points, ranking 14th, just behind teams like Manchester City, Juventus, and Bayer Leverkusen, all of which have the same number of points but a better goal difference.
The UEFA Champions League 2024/25 league phase kicked off yesterday with nine games. Aside from Dinamo Zagreb's big win, Liverpool’s 4-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen stands out, as they climbed to the top of the table with 12 points.
One of the day’s most surprising results was Real Madrid’s 1-3 loss to Milan in Spain, and Manchester City's surprising 1-4 defeat to Sporting in Portugal, despite having 73% possession.
Borussia Dortmund, who defeated Sturm 1-0, saw their coach Nuri Shahin make history as the first Borussia coach to win seven consecutive home games since the Bundesliga's inception.
Today, the final nine games of the fourth round of the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 league phase will take place.
Heading into this round, Aston Villa, the current leader, will need to beat Club Brugge in Belgium by at least four goals to reclaim the top spot.
Another highly anticipated match is the clash between 8th-placed Inter and 9th-placed Arsenal. The two teams haven’t faced each other since 2003, when both teams recorded unusual results: Inter won 3-0 in England, and Arsenal triumphed 5-1 in Italy.
It is also surprising to see PSG ranked 23rd and Atlético Madrid 28th in the Champions League standings. A win for either team in France could significantly improve their position.
Bayern Munich, ranked 25th, is aiming for its 10th victory in 13 encounters against Benfica, a team they have never lost to on home soil.
Barcelona, another favorite, will aim to reach the top 8 by defeating Red Star Belgrade in Serbia.
Rasim
Idman.biz
