Dinamo Zagreb vs Juventus Turin marks the return of two former Dinamo Zagreb youth products to Croatia, as both Marko Pjaca and Mario Mandzukić stem from Dinamo’s prolific youth academy.
Yet, for Dinamo, this might be one of the only positives from the match against the Serie A record champion with 32 titles. In fact, the match against the Italians could not come at a worse time, as, on the field, Dinamo is experiencing its worst crisis in recent years.
Two weeks ago, Dinamo received its customary 3-0 defeat in the Champions League against Olympique Lyon. But two defeats in a row (in the MAXtv Prva Liga against NK Osijek, the first home league loss in 104 games, and a crushing 5-2 defeat to HNK Rijeka) have prompted coach Zlatko Kranjčar to step down from his position as Dinamo’s manager.
The results meant that the club slipped to third spot in the Prva Liga behind Rijeka and Osijek, and it appears that, for the first time in over a decade, Dinamo’s supremacy in Croatia is in danger.
Kranjčar has taken responsibility for the club’s crisis, but the true problems lie elsewhere. Like many of the top clubs in the Balkans, Dinamo is dependent on selling its top players to teams in the big four leagues in Western Europe.
This season, for example, Dinamo lost the above-mentioned Marko Pjaca, as well as Josip Brekalo (Wolfsburg), Marcelo Brozović (Inter Milan), Marko Rog (Napoli), and then, on the final day of the transfer window, goalkeeper Eduardo (Chelsea) (read Dinamo Zagreb’s full Champions League preview here).
Perhaps this season the bloodletting has been too much, as young players such as Ante Ćorić are struggling to fill the void left by the departed players. The departure of the experienced keeper Eduardo, especially, seems to have hurt the club, as the talented Adrian Semper lacks the experience to guide the men in front of him.
It will now be up to new coach, Zeljko Sopić, to stabilize the club—although it remains to be seen whether the former midfielder will prove to be a long-term solution at Dinamo.
For Juventus, this means that, at the best possible moment, they will be facing a club, which historically has always struggled in the Champions League group stage. The Italians will, therefore, be the massive favourites on Tuesday night in Zagreb, and don’t be surprised if Juventus run up the result in decisive fashion.
Possible Line-ups
Dinamo Zagreb:
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Semper – Privarić, Shildenfeld, Benković, Matel – Jonas, Machado – Antolić, Ćorić, Soudani – Henríquez
Manager: Zeljko Sopić
Juventus Turin:
Formation: 3-5-2
Buffon – Chiellini, Barzagli, Bonucci – Alex Sandro, Khedira, Pjanic, Lemina, Alves – Higuaín, Dybala
Manager: Massimiliano Allegri
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