Photo: UEFA
Dinamo Zagreb are Croatia’s lone representatives in European competition this campaign and will try to clinch their second straight Champions League berth when they take on Slovenian champions NK Maribor Wednesday night (2:45PM ET kickoff) from Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb in the playoff round. The return leg will be played in Slovenia next Tuesday.
What is to be expected of this Dinamo team after nearly being ousted in their first round of qualifying by Bulgarian champions Ludogorec?- only to be saved by a miraculous 98th minute injury time Domagoj Vida goal. They later showed their dominance against Moldovan club Sheriff Tiraspol in the third qualifying round, winning 5-0 on aggregate over two legs. Now Dinamo face Maribor, a favorable draw for the Croatian champions, and the last team to stand in their way to yet another Champions League group stage run.
Dinamo is guaranteed at least six matches in Europe this year. If they defeat Maribor, it will be in the coveted Champions League. If they bow out, Europa League will be their home for the next four months.
But which tournament better suits Dinamo’s growth and gives them the best chance of playing in Europe after the new year? Playing in Champions League against the top teams in Europe can very well see Dinamo get crushed in every game (last year’s tournament), finish fourth and bow out of Europe, only for them to have Real Madrid (or insert big name club here) come to Croatia for a big game to their name. Barring a favorable Champions League draw where Dinamo can actually compete for a third place spot and earn a berth in Europa League’s Round of 32 after Christmas (I don’t see anyway they can finish top two), Dinamo should be happy with playing in Europe’s second tier tournament. Not only will the games be more competitive, but they can finish in the top-two and play European football in 2013.
This not only promotes their growth as a club, but it also represents Croatian football well for future seasons to come.
Dinamov stoper na meti momčadi iz Rima: Lazio za Domagoja Vidu nudi 5 milijuna eura!
http://www.nogometni-magazin.com/newspro/coranto/viewnews.cgi?id=EFuVZEpEAyIBCfGQKd&tmpl=coranto_hrv_news
Popis za Makedoniju i Belgiju:
Vratari: Pletikosa, Subašić, Kelava
Obrana: Ćorluka, Srna, Šimunić, Schildenfeld, Strinić, Vida, Lovren, Pamić
Vezni red: Rakitić, Badelj, Kranjčar, Vukojević, Modrić, Iličević, Perišić, Radošević
Napad: Mandžukić, Olić, Da Silva, Jelavić, Petrić, Kalinić, Vukušić
Štimac nije pozvao Sammira: Nema ni Pranjića, ali se vraća – Petrić!
http://gol.dnevnik.hr/clanak/nogomet/reprezentacije/popis-cemo-saznati-tocno-u-podne-hoce-li-stimac-pozvati-sammira.html
@IvicA
Nice post.
Believe it or not I have going to World Cup 2014 in Brazil to watch Hrvatska play on my bucket list.
Keep the Faith!
@ Ziva
Comedy? No. This is making me nervous. It would be good comedy for me if it was any team other than the Croatian national team.
As much as I would like to see that criminal Stimac fall flat on his face, I don’t want it at the expense of us not qualifying for 2014, especially with the Serbs in our group.
The last thing I want to see is a repeat of Euro2000 qualifying. We are significantly better than the Serbs, and the last thing I want to see is somebody like Stimac’s incompetence as the reason these guys get the better of us.
As much as I would love to see a meltdown and a very public brawl involving Stimac, Suker, and Mamic…I don’t want to see our World Cup qualification as the price we have to pay for it. I don’t like Stimac, but I don’t like missing out on a second World Cup even more.
“Even if Luka signed today with Real, no way will he be match fit to play two games in four day. We all know he will start and play, but he wont be ready.”
We’ll see. He won’t be as match fit and ready as he was at Euro 2012 but he has been training and he will be ready. I hope….
Stimac has nobody to blame but himself and his mafia attitude. Oh, and don’t forget about Igor Tudor….
Even if Luka signed today with Real, no way will he be match fit to play two games in four day. We all know he will start and play, but he wont be ready.
Anyway, this is all setting up for a possible disaster for Stimac. With tomorrow’s possible news coming out that Sammir is on the repka coupled with a bad start to qualifying, Stimac is digging a deep hole. And he wont find too many people feeling sorry for him either. But, at least it will be good comedy for me and many others to enjoy.
@Ziva
Chelsea offered 40 million for Luka last year and the only reason Levy did not sell is because he did not want another Berbatov situation. Hazard is an amazing player with great upswing potential! However, Luka and Eden do different jobs extremely well. In the puppet master/distributor role I would still take Luka over Eden.
“All this means is that Modric should not play for the national team in Zagreb against Macedonia.”
There is still time, not much time but there is still time. We need Luka against Belgium. Actually, we need him for both games but more so Belgium. He might not be match fit at the time but he has to play. Fingers crossed.
lol woops read it wrong, badelj scored for dinamo. my bad
NK Drava……..that is assuming if you think those rumors were correct, which I dont. The price tag was never that high for Modric. Look at what Chelsea paid for Hazard and then compare Hazard to Modric. No way Modric is in the same price as Hazard, he is slightly lower than Hazard.
Levy is still going to sell Modric for around 30+ million euros.
All this means is that Modric should not play for the national team in Zagreb against Macedonia.
and is badelj that scored for mariobor today the former dinamo player?
@mkez00
easy there, Leko is my cousin.
@Haet
I like the way you think my friend, i’d gladly help you in the quest to stomp these slovenes lol
Ante B I would boot both Mamic and the idiot supporters.
Reality though, is that it is alot easier to weed out the unemployed, drunken fringe element of the BBB than it is to displace Mamic from his tightly wedged position inside the Croatain football establishment.
Btw, I don’t discriminate in any way between BBB, Torcida, Armada, etc. If you’re a trouble maker, you are banned for life from all future football matches, and then we get tough on you. Throw the dirtbags in jail for a couple years if they still persist.
@ Ziva Istina
If you think losing out on 10-15 million in 9 months is the best interest of your team.. Then, you seem like a good replacement Zdravko Mamić- Talk about mis-management-
Levy maybe a good businessman, but his mishandled Modric.
Levy may be a complete jerk, but he is doing what is in his best interest and in Tottenham’s best interest.
As for Dinamo…….they are clearly the better side. They should go through.
Dinamo should have scored more goals but a win is a win.
Hopefully the lack of production does not come back to haunt them.
Boom. Way to make up for the own goal-2-1 BBB
Never mind found one
All my streams went offline….anyone care to share a link?
@Matthew Lebo
“If čop could finish a shot that was outside 5 yards, Dinamo would be easily in control of this game.”
You got that right!
Poor Cop.
If čop could finish a shot that was outside 5 yards, Dinamo would be easily in control of this game.
@Ziva Istina
Levy is being a complete jerk.
Please don’t give me the BS that he does not have to sell Modric. I think we know all know that information and I was taking taking that into consideration.
Weak sauce-
Levy is going to lose about 10 mil on Luka-
Should of took Chelsea’s money last year. I am so pleased that crottenham is over!
sick and tired of being ridiculed for being a Heb supportor-
It’s all about Everton and Fulham now.
Poor goal. Can’t stand Jerko Leko. Why is that goon still playing.
Brother Modric is being paid. he isn’t being forced.
@HAET
“On another note, when I was a kid and one of our brethren was being held in detention after school in one of the classrooms of our small Catholic school, we’d march back and forth outside said classroom and shout ‘LET THE BROTHER OUT’! I say we start a similar protest against Tottenham to free our brother Modric!”
Let my people GO!
🙂
Cop
Goal !!!!! Dinamo
@Allen, give me 10 divisions and all necessary intelligence (I will be asking questions), and I’ll bring Slovenia to her knees!
On another note, when I was a kid and one of our brethren was being held in detention after school in one of the classrooms of our small Catholic school, we’d march back and forth outside said classroom and shout ‘LET THE BROTHER OUT’! I say we start a similar protest against Tottenham to free our brother Modric!
jebem mu mater….GPS Keleva didn’t listen again. He is playing without his GPS instrument again. Always gets lost when he is 5 feet away from the goal line
What’s wrong with Kovačić? Is he still injured?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19335062
THIS MEANS WAR
It’s not being an apologist, it’s about being a realist and, oh I don’t know, observing the facts. Yes, there is a hooligan element in the BBB, as there is in the Torcida, Kohorta, etc., there always will be. The clear answer to your question is an easy one: Mamic. The BBB tried doing it by legal means with the boycott to no avail and now they have to resort to other means; I get it. Now let me ask you one question in return:
Would you rather try to oust the guy who ALREADY threw Dinamo out of European competition or the guys who almost have?
Exactly. Clearly Dinamo management does not have the jajce to deal with the fringe lunatics to allow the good supporters to enjoy the games. You have clearly outlined ways to deal with the morons.
Ante B, being an apologist for everything the BBB does mitigates your comments re majmun. Yeah, Mamic is an absolute moron, thug and disgrace to Croatian football. But so are the fringe lunatics in BBB that pretend to be fans. Clear all of them out and Mamic and things would be much better but which would be easier to weed out?
You tell me.
Somewhat true. There are individuals or small sects/groups that are looking to cause trouble. But, this is where the club needs to be more proactive and single out the idiotic element. We all know its the idiotic minority that causes all the problems and will draw the media attention.
What can they do to stop it? For some members of the BBB it wont end until Mamic is gone. Then you have other fans of Dinamo who don’t care either way about Mamic, but don’t support the element in the BBB that are doing most of the damage.
I think its now to the point where Mamic sends in the specijacli into the stadium just to get a reaction from the small idiot element. Once he gets the reaction he is wants he then can turn around to anyone who will listen and say, “see, this is what we as a club have to deal with.”
For the majortiy of fans who are calm and civilized this creates an unfortunate situation. If I was a Dinamo fan I would be beyond pisses that I could not go to Maribor to watch my team play.
Me personally, I don’t or won’t sit in the ultra sections anymore. I’ll pay the extra money and sit in the VIP seats or the middle of the field to avoid the idiocy.
Ma daj…since we’re talking about animals, Mamic was personally responsible for getting Dinamo kicked out of European competition in 1994, the BBB have not. Mamic is the alpha and omega of the shit storm and 99% of the blame is on him. Why do people keep forgetting that? E moj narode
I don’t get it Ziva, every time BBB go to away games they cause shit and then the club is fined and/or penalized.
I can’t stand Majmun myself, but to me this was the right thing to do.
If BBB are going to act like animals, you’ll be treated like them and not invited to the party. Simple.
Whoever put that link up last week for that friendly against Switzerland good on ya, sometimes its a massive struggle to find a clean stream like that so keep em coming much appreciated. Cheers
For anyone interested, here’s a link for the dinamo match tomorrow. This site also shows all/most hnl games every week. Tons of fun, right? http://www.sportska-tv.com/
@poglavnik – some dalmatinci not all.
I know, I know… It’s nothing that personal. We just gotta defend these Dinamo posts sometimes.
Dalamatinci have nothing left to cheer for so they’ve resorted to cheering for Slovenci.
CL for sure.
You have to be a big underdog to pull of a miracle upset. We will certainly be huge underdogs. So with a little luck we just may have a run in us that will be remembered—-As great as EL is I want to think BIG! If we finish third then we can move on to EL.
First things first – get your vinjeta and let roll..
Champions League only, not so excited about Dinamo in the Europa League anymore honestly. I’m torn though, because if they do qualify for the CL it guarantees Cacic for another few months
@Ante B……it is BS, but blame Mamic and the Dinamo leadership for that. They requested Maribor to not sell tickets to Dinamo fans for the return leg. By UEFA bylaws the visiting club is entitled to 5% of the tickets for an away match unless agreed upon to do something else.
Just another long list of examples where the fan is screwed due to the soccer leadership in Cro.
Poglavnice relax. Some people hate Dinamo more than they love their own club.
Fuck Dukic!
Fair.
They have a horrible reputation. They want to blow their loads during preseason matches in Austria etc and then expect to be invited to the big games during the European season.
Clean up your shit during away matches and this won’t happen. Same goes for Torcida.
But whatever happens in Croatia (during HNL) should stay in Croatia.
BBB not allowed to Maribor but Viole allowed in Zagreb. Bullshit or fair?
fuck Maribor……straight up losers….
AJMO MARIBOR!
Own Goal!!! 3-1!!!
I don’t want us losing to the Slovenci.
I missed the first half of the Kiev game but it sounds like Niko plated well. Vuko on for Niko in the 65th minute with Kiev up 2-1 on the road
This is the strongest Maribor team in years. Dinamo will tie at home, lose in Slovenia.
Wembley or bust!!!
Good luck Dinamo!!!