Kravtsov and Nsoki Miss Viking Clash, Will Debut Later
Kravtsov, Nsoki, and Taylor will not be eligible for the Champions League playoff, despite arriving in Zagreb this week and training with the first team.
Kravtsov, Nsoki, and Taylor will not be eligible for the Champions League playoff, despite arriving in Zagreb this week and training with the first team.
Croatian champions GNK Dinamo are on the final step of their path to the Champions League, and a potential entry would bring them around €35 million in earnings. However, in the crucial playoff match against Norwegian side Viking FK, which takes place on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 9 PM at Maksimir, the team will be without the new signings who arrived in Zagreb this week.
According to Germanijak, Russian footballer Kiril Kravtsov (Russian: Кирил Кравцов, English: Kiril Kravtsov) and young Ghanaian Fuzy Taylor are expected to undergo medical examinations and sign contracts with Dinamo today, but they will not be registered for the Champions League playoff. Taylor's absence was known earlier, as he will join the B team, while Kravtsov is not yet fully match-fit.
The Russian did not go through pre-season with his former club Sochi, so he will need time to adapt to his new environment. He and Taylor have been in Zagreb since Friday, training with the first team but separately. The same applies to Noah Nsoki, a young Frenchman who is also training with the first team but not at full intensity, so it is expected that he will make his debut for the B team under coach Jerko Leko.
Dinamo can register players for the matches against Viking until tonight at 11:59 PM, but Kravtsov and Nsoki will not be eligible for those games. Their debuts are expected later in the SHNL, while Taylor will have to wait a bit longer for his chance.
It's worth recalling that Dinamo also lost Gabriel Vidović on their path to the Champions League, as he moved to Germany. Despite this, fan interest is enormous: according to the club's official Twitter announcement from August 16, the North Lower, West Lower, and West Upper stands are already sold out, with only the North Upper stand remaining, priced at €12 for members and €17 for other fans.
The club also announced that part of the revenue from the match will be donated to help those affected by the wildfires in the hardest-hit areas of Croatia. "What an evening awaits us at Maksimir! Besides fighting for a place in the Champions League group stage, part of the match revenue will be donated to help those affected by the wildfires in the hardest-hit areas of Croatia," the club said, urging fans to grab the remaining tickets.
