After a 1-1 tie in the first leg, the second leg UEFA Champions League playoff match Red Bull Salzburg vs Dinamo Zagreb should provide plenty of drama. With Salzburg having clinched the all-important away goal the Roten Bullen now carry a slight advantage going into the second leg, as Dinamo now need to score to advance.
The Croatians, however, should be more than capable to score at least one goal away from home. In fact Dinamo has a reputation for getting the necessary result when needed most. On Friday Dinamo beat RNK Split 1-0, and the previous week Dinamo beat Inter Zapresic 2-1.
Even more impressive was Dinamo’s 4-0 victory over their biggest rival Hajduk Split on August 10. Against Hajduk, Dinamo highlighted that they were both defensively strong and extremely flexible up front.
Offensive midfielder Marko Rog has been especially impressive, and there are now rumours that the talented 21-year-old could be on his way to the Italian Serie A club SSC Napoli. It is expected that Rog will sign for the Italian club following the playoff match against Red Bull Salzburg.
Another major threat is the 19-year-old Ante Ćorić, who didn’t start in Friday’s match against Split, but is expected to be part of the line-up against Salzburg. Another player who can be expected to start is the Chilean striker Ángelo Henríquez.
The Chilean hasn’t scored yet this season, and was also left out of Chile’s Copa América Centenario squad this summer. Yet the striker was an important member of the 2015 Chile team that won the first title in the country’s history, and it should only be a matter of time before he starts scoring again.
It was therefore good news for Salzburg that defender Martin Hinteregger refused a transfer to Salzburg’s affiliate RB Leipzig. According to transfermarkt.de Hinteregger turned down the offer because he wants to play UEFA Champions League with Salzburg this season.
His defensive talents will be in great demand against a highly variable Dinamo Zagreb offense, as Dinamo’s head coach Zlatko Kranjčar will most certainly come up with an offensive line-up in order to take back the advantage that Red Bull gained with their away goal last week in Croatia.
Indeed this will be an interesting match, where Dinamo, despite being currently handicapped by the away goal, will be the more likely candidate to advance into the next round.
Possible Line-ups
Red Bull Salzburg:
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Walke – Stangl, Hinteregger, Caleta-Car, Lainer – Samassekou, Laimer – Minamino, Dabbur, Reyna – Soriano
Manager: Óscar Garcia
Dinamo Zagreb:
Formation:
Eduardo – Privarić, Shildenfeld, Benković, Matel – Jonas, Machado – Antolić, Rog, Ćorić – Henríquez
Manager: Zlatko Kranjčar
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