- 1 Dinamo Zagreb vs Viking : six months unbeaten against a European rookie who has barely got going
- 2 Dinamo Zagreb : clean work and a forward line full of confidence
- 3 Viking : four wins from five in the league, but a treatment room that is bursting at the seams
- 4 Champions League prediction Dinamo Zagreb vs Viking
- 5 Before anything else, a word on our free tips
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the visuals…
Dinamo Zagreb vs Viking : six months unbeaten against a European rookie who has barely got going 
Dinamo Zagreb have not lost a match in any competition since February 2026, when they crashed out of the Europa League at the round-of-32 stage against Genk (1-3). That tells you everything about the Croats’ mood heading into this play-off.
Viking, by contrast, arrive with the opposite profile. The reigning Norwegian champions from Stavanger were spared the qualifying rounds and are stepping into the competition at the very last hurdle.
Dinamo have had to earn their place the hard way. Two rounds, four matches, and still no defeat in normal time.
The match is set for Tuesday 18 August at 21:00 CET in Zagreb. The return leg is on 26 August in Norway.
The bookmakers have made their view plain enough: an implied 64% chance of a home win, 25% for the draw, and just 11% for Viking. That is the widest gap of any play-off tie in this year’s competition.
The real swing factor is not the badge. Viking have six players out injured, while Dinamo are without their first-choice goalkeeper through suspension. This one may come down to whether the Norwegians can keep it tight before heading home for the second leg.
Dinamo Zagreb : clean work and a forward line full of confidence 
The second round was the first real test. Held to a 1-1 draw in Thun, Dinamo had to get the job done in extra time at home (3-2), advancing 4-3 on aggregate.
The third round was a different story altogether. They hammered Kauno Zalgiris 5-0 in the first leg, then won 2-1 in Lithuania for a 7-1 aggregate that never looked in doubt.
In the Croatian league, the club has only played once so far because their second-round fixture was postponed. They still made it count, beating Slaven Belupo 2-0.
Up front, Beljo is leading the line. After scoring 31 league goals last season, the striker already has 2 in Croatia’s top flight this term and laid on 2 assists in the previous round.
Dinamo’s top scorer in qualifying, though, is another man. Lukas Kacavenda, back from loan at LASK Linz, has hit 3 goals, ahead of Miha Zajc (2 goals), who was left on the bench against Kauno Zalgiris.
Two absentees stand out. Filipovic was sent off in the first half of the second leg in Kaunas and is suspended, while defender Kevin Theophile-Catherine, who arrived on a free transfer from Saint-Etienne in 2018, will also miss out.
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Viking : four wins from five in the league, but a treatment room that is bursting at the seams 
Viking are unbeaten in five league games in Eliteserien, winning four of them. The form has been sharp: victories over Sandefjord (2-1), Lillestrom (1-2), Start (0-3) and Sarpsborg 08 (2-1).
They currently sit second behind Bodo/Glimt, the other Norwegian side in these play-offs, who are competing on the league path.
The issue for Viking comes down to one number: six unavailable players. Defender Martin Roseth and forward Veton Berisha have been out for some time.
To that pair, add four players who have seen plenty of action this season: Anders Baertelsen, New Zealand international Joe Bell, midfielder K. Haugen (1 goal, 1 assist), and Norway international Henrik Falchener, a substitute at the last World Cup.
The attack, thankfully, still has its main men. Zlatko Tripic has 6 goals and 13 assists in the league, and that kind of creative output remains Viking’s main weapon in transition.
Peter Christiansen (8 goals, 4 assists) will lead the line, supported by young under-21 international Edvin Austbo (2 goals, 1 assist) and midfielder K. Askildsen, who has scored 5 times. The threat is there. The defensive balance, not so much.
Champions League prediction Dinamo Zagreb vs Viking
Our tip : Dinamo Zagreb to win
The UEFA coefficient gap says plenty: 46,500 for Dinamo Zagreb, 8,247 for Viking. That is not just a number on a spreadsheet; it reflects a decade of difference in squad depth.
The Croats have scored 7 goals across their last two-legged tie and can call on Beljo, Kacavenda and Zajc, three players who have already made a difference this summer. Viking turn up missing six players and without a single qualifying match in their legs.
Filipovic’s suspension is the only real concern on the Croatian side, and it is not enough to tilt the balance. Dinamo Zagreb get the nod.
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