Manchester City vs Dinamo Zagreb UCL Matchday 2 Odds, Picks & Betting Preview
- EPL champions in free-scoring form after 8-0 thrashing of Watford
- Croatians have only once beaten an English club
- Guardiola’s star-studded team eager for impact in competition
Manchester City will be planning to take a firm grip on the Champions League’s Group C when they face Dinamo Zagreb in England on Tuesday, October 1, at the Etihad Stadium at 3:00 pm EST.
Both teams were emphatic winners in their opening fixtures. Premier League champions City won 3-0 away at Shakhtar Donetsk while Dinamo recorded a 4-0 home win against UCL newcomers Atalanta of Italy.
Manchester City vs Dinamo Zagreb UCL Matchday 2 Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | -3 +102 | -1299 | Ov 4, 4½ +104 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | +3 -118 | +1750 | Un 4, 4½ -120 |
| Draw | N/A | +1050 | N/A |
*Odds taken at 2019/09/27
Favorites to Win Trophy
Pep Guardiola’s team are favorites to win the competition outright at +325 ahead of Barcelona and Liverpool.
As such, they are massively favored to defeat Zagreb at -1299. Dinamo are huge outsiders at +1750 with the draw also rated highly unlikely at +1050. The only value, though, is in backing an outlandish hunch on a major shock in Dinamo’s favor.
City have been in rampant goal-scoring form domestically even though they are in second place in the EPL behind leaders Liverpool. They will surely see off Zagreb comfortably in their current mood.
City’s leading goal-getter, Raheem Sterling, is in a rich vein of form and had already scored seven times in his first eight appearances in all competitions this season.
Manchester City vs Dinamo Zagreb UCL 2019-20 Statistics
| 1 | Wins | 1 |
| 0 | Losses | 0 |
| 0 | Draws | 0 |
| 3 | Goals | 4 |
| 17 | Goal Attempts | 13 |
| 49% | Possession | 46% |
| 88% | Passing Accuracy | 74% |
Their most recent league win was an 8-0 thrashing of Watford last Saturday. They have also beaten West Ham United 5-0 and Brighton and Hove Albion 4-0.
Mislav Oršić is the first Dinamo Zagreb player to score a Champions League hat-trick in the #UCL era.
⚽️ 31'
⚽️ 42'
⚽️ 68'History has been made. pic.twitter.com/XCZNJPayNj
— Squawka (@Squawka) September 18, 2019
City’s leading goal-getter, Raheem Sterling, is in a rich vein of form and had already scored seven times in his first eight appearances in all competitions this season.
City’s goal-scoring statistics in recent seasons in the UCL also make impressive reading, although they were eliminated by rival English opposition in the quarterfinals in each of the past two campaigns – Liverpool in 2017-18 and Tottenham Hotspur in 2018-19.
The 3-0 win against Shakhtar made it no fewer than 17 goals in their last five UCL matches.
They scored 20 goals in their five home games in 2018/19 with the wins including a 6-0 hammering of Shakhtar in the group stage and a 7-0 defeat of Schalke 04 in the last 16.
English Treble Holders
They are currently the first holders of the English Treble of EPL title, the FA Cup and EFL Cup. But their major mission now is to win the UCL for the first time to validate their status as one of the world’s wealthiest clubs with financial backing from Abu Dhabi and China.
City have never before played Croatian opposition.
Only once have reigning Croatian champions Dinamo beaten English opposition when they overcame Arsenal 2-1 at home in the UCL group stage in 2015.16.
The man who makes @ManCity tick ✨#WednesdayWisdom @DeBruyneKev pic.twitter.com/PRX2CHjbsu
— Premier League (@premierleague) September 25, 2019
They are currently in second place in their homeland’s First Football League after five wins, one draw and two defeats.
A hat-trick from Mislav Oršić inspired Dinamo’s 4-0 matchday one defeat of Atalanta in Zagreb.
Their most recent domestic result was a 1-0 defeat away against NK Varadzin last Saturday.
A hat-trick from Mislav Oršić inspired Dinamo’s 4-0 matchday one defeat of Atalanta in Zagreb. The win currently puts them on top of the group on goal-difference.
It was only their fifth win in seven entries into the UCL group stage. It also ended a run of 11 successive defeats in the competition.
Manchester City v Dinamo Zagreb facts https://t.co/QQBwC29OIn pic.twitter.com/h67xNu4bwO
— SportsGridUK (@Sportsgriduk) September 25, 2019
In their previous group stage entry in 2016/17, they lost all six matches.
They began in this season’s UCL second qualifying round with a comfortable despatching of Georgia’s Saburtalo 5-0. Then came a double victory against Hungary’s Ferencváros before Rosenborg of Norway were beaten in the playoffs. Despite the stats and odds heavily leaning in Man City’s direction, a smaller stake on a shocking upset may present the most value.
Pick: Dinamo Zagreb +1750
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
