After Easily Dispatching Lithuania's Kauno Žalgiris, the Blues Will Seek Their Final Hurdle to the Champions League League Phase Against the Current Norwegian Champions. Special Attention Is Drawn to Zlatko Tripić, the Leader of the Stavanger Side with Roots in Rijeka.
Dinamo's footballers have learned the name of their last opponent in the Champions League qualifiers. After thrashing Lithuania's Kauno Žalgiris 7-1 on aggregate, the Blues will face Norway's Viking from Stavanger on their path to the elite competition.
The first leg of the playoff is scheduled for August 18 at Maksimir, with the return leg a week later, on August 26, in Norway. The winner of the tie will secure a spot in the Champions League league phase. By reaching the playoff, Dinamo has already guaranteed at least a place in the Europa League league phase, providing additional security for the Zagreb club.
Viking ended a long drought last season by winning the Norwegian title, their ninth in club history and first since 1991. That this success was no fluke is confirmed by the current season, in which the Stavanger club is fighting to defend the title.
After 16 matches in the Eliteserien, Viking sit second with 40 points, just one behind leaders Bodø/Glimt, who have a game in hand. In their last fixture, they beat Sarpsborg 2-1, with the winning goal coming deep into stoppage time.
The biggest star of the Norwegian champions is their captain, Zlatko Tripić, a 33-year-old footballer born in Rijeka. The experienced winger has been leading the team for years, and this season he is performing at an exceptionally high level.
In 15 league appearances this season, he has scored six goals and provided as many as 13 assists. Last season, when Viking won the title, his output was even more impressive: in 25 matches, he scored 11 goals and added 16 assists. It was Tripić who scored in the 94th minute against Sarpsborg to seal the 2-1 win, confirming his status as the team's true leader.
Besides the experienced captain, Viking also boast several promising young players. The most valuable among them is 21-year-old winger Edvin Austbø, whose value is estimated at nine million euros by the specialized portal Transfermarkt. The total value of the Norwegian club's entire squad is just under 50 million euros.
Another specific challenge for Dinamo will be the surface on which Viking play their home matches in Stavanger. The Norwegian club is accustomed to playing at a high tempo on artificial turf, which could be a significant advantage in the return leg.
How important this surface is to Viking's game is shown by the debate that took place in Norwegian media this summer. Some local analysts pointed out that many of Zlatko Tripić's best performances come precisely on artificial turf, something Dinamo's coaching staff will certainly take into account when preparing for the match.
