The Biggest Threat to Dinamo in the Champions League Quest Comes from Rijeka
Zlatko Tripic, a 33-year-old forward born in Rijeka, is the central figure of Norway's Viking, the opponent of the Blues in the final round of Champions League qualifiers.
Zlatko Tripic, a 33-year-old forward born in Rijeka, is the central figure of Norway's Viking, the opponent of the Blues in the final round of Champions League qualifiers.
Dinamo opened a run of three home matches in the best possible way with a 4-0 victory over Rudeš on Friday. The convincing triumph over the weakest club in the SuperSport HNL served as the ideal warm-up for what lies ahead on Tuesday, when Norwegian champions Viking from Stavanger arrive at Maksimir. The final qualifying round for the Champions League kicks off at 9 PM.
Coach Mario Kovačević used the match against Rudeš for rotation and to rest key players. Dion Drena Beljo set things straight as early as the 6th minute, and players who had not been in the spotlight got their chance. Niko Galešić and Stjepan Radeljić did their part at a high level, while Lukas Kačavenda proved himself with his third goal in the last three appearances.
Although he was not entirely pleased with everything he saw, the Blues' strategist pointed out that there is no need to nitpick. The key was to preserve the most important players for the clash with the Norwegians.
"We did everything we planned and wanted. We won, we saved Luka Stojković for Viking, and no one got injured. Now we welcome the most important match in good spirits," Kovačević told Novi list.
The starting lineup for the encounter with the Norwegian champions leaves no room for doubt. Ivan Nevistić will be in goal, with Moris Valinčić and Matteo Perez Vinlöf on the flanks, and Sergi Dominguez and Scott McKenna in central defense. The midfield will consist of Stojković, Miha Zajc, and Josip Mišić, while Beljo, Mateo Lisica, and Arbër Hoxha will lead the attack.
The biggest threat to Dinamo's goal will be Zlatko Tripic, a 33-year-old forward born in Rijeka, who sets up teammates, takes almost all set pieces, and is often a scorer himself. However, Viking's biggest star is Edvin Austbo, a 21-year-old winger valued at nine million euros on the market. His balls often feed Peter Christiansen, a 26-year-old Danish center-forward who contributed fourteen goals and two assists in 29 matches during the title-winning campaign.
An alleviating circumstance for Dinamo is Viking's injury problems with key players like Henrik Falchener and Joe Bell. On the other hand, the Blues will be without Gabriel Vidović, who has found an exit strategy and is returning to the Bundesliga, to Paderborn, which should pay three million euros for his transfer.
GNK Dinamo announced via their social media that the North Lower, West Lower, and West Upper stands are already sold out. Only the North Upper stand remains, where tickets cost 12 euros for members and 17 euros for other fans. The club also announced that part of the revenue from the match will be donated to help those affected by the fires in the hardest-hit areas of Croatia.
