Villarreal leads Dinamo Zagreb going into the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final match tonight. And with Villareal leading 1-0 for the semi-finals’ race, here are some Villarreal vs Dinamo Zagreb predictions.
Who among Villareal and Dinamo Zagreb will proceed beyond the last-16 round of Europa League?
Dinamo now have 90 minutes at Estadio de la Ceramica to rectify the marginal defeat of the first leg.
In last week’s matchup, Gerard Moreno’s penalty just before halftime gave Villareal the marginal lead and they won 1-0.
Team news:
Villarreal:
Gerard Moreno, the team’s star player, only played for 45 minutes at the weekend. Villareal want to keep him fresh for the second leg against Dinamo Zagreb today.
Manu Trigueros, Samuel Chukwueze, and Alfonso Pedraza were all given some time off for the same reason – to rest.
Meanwhile, Etienne Capoue and Pau Torres were left on the bench entirely. So, they too will hit the pitch tonight well-rested.
Villarreal possible starting lineup: Rulli; Foyth, Albiol, Torres, Pedraza; Parejo, Capoue, Trigueros; Chukwueze, Gerard, Bacca
Dinamo Zagreb:
Iyayi Atiemwen will have to lead the line once more because Bruno Petkovic is unlikely to return in time.
Dinamo Zagreb possible starting lineup: Livakovic; Ristovski, Lauritsen, Theophile-Catherine, Gvardiol; Majer, Ademi, Jakic; Ivanusec, Petkovic, Orsic
Villarreal vs Dinamo Zagreb Predictions:
- Villarreal are the favorites to advance to the Europa League quarterfinals. Following a 1-0 victory away from home last week, they have one away goal in their pocket.
- Dinamo Zagreb stunned Tottenham Hotspur in the previous round, but it’s hard to see it happening again here against Unai Emery’s Villarreal. But Dinamo Zagreb, like with the Spurs, know how to pull off a surprise outcome, especially in Europe.
- While Villarreal lost 2-1 at home to Osasuna over the weekend, that was clearly becuase they were focused on today. Indeed they have a perfect home record in the Europa League this season.
- The visitors have lost their last six games against Spanish opposition, and Villarreal have a fantastic European record this season. So, we’re backing Emery’s team to win.
