New Delhi: The biggest competition in club football returns tonight in a completely new look. The first ever league stage of the UEFA Champions League kicks off tonight and one of the most successful clubs in the competition start their campaign tonight as well. Bayern Munich play host to Dinamo Zagreb in their opening fixture on matchday one as manager Vincent Kompany takes charge of his first UEFA Champions League game.
The Bavarians have gotten off to a good start this season, winning all of their Bundesliga games till now and will look to continue that form when they welcome Zagreb. The Munich side had a hugely disappointing 2023/24 season considering their lofty standards as they failed to win a trophy for the first time in years and will look to put that behind them this season and challenge on all fronts once again under Kompany’s leadership.
Dinamo Zagreb return to the competition after a year’s absence as they failed to make it past the qualifying stages in the previous campaign having been a part of the 2022/23 campaign. The Croatian champions head into the tournament in good form after a great start to the season, winning four of their first six games. With a squad filled with many Croatian national team stars, they will hope to remain in the top 24 teams once the league stages come to an end in January next year.
Team News
⭐️ @ChampionsLeague Nights Are 𝑩𝑨𝑪𝑲 ⭐️
🏟 We kick off at the Allianz Arena in 24 hours ⏳#OurWayHoam #FCBDIN #UCL #FCBayern pic.twitter.com/eeNaq6oPoH
— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) September 16, 2024
Bayern Munich have pretty strong core of players to choose from for their UEFA Champions League opener despite having some injury issues to deal with. Summer signing Hiroki Ito has been injured since before the season began and is expected to be out till next month. Right-back Sacha Boey picked up an injury in training and is set to be out for the next few weeks as well. Josip Stanisic is still sidelined with a knee injury till November while youngsters Tarek Buchmann and Arijon Ibrahimovic are also unavailable to host the Croatian side.
Zagreb manager Sergej Jakirovic has a few selection headaches to deal with for the game against Bayern. His side look a little weak in defence currently as right-back Sadegh Moharrami has been ruled out for the season following an ACL injury. Joining him in the medical room are fellow defenders Mauro Perkovic and Dino Peric, both of whom are out for a while as well while defensive midfielder Josip Misic remains a doubt for the game due to a back injury.
Predicted Lineup
Bayern Munich XI: M.Neuer; J.Kimmich, D.Upamecano, Kim, A.Davies; A.Pavlovic, J.Palhinha; M.Olise, J.Musiala, L.Sane; H.Kane.
Dinamo Zagreb XI: I.Nevistic; S.Ristovski, K.Theophile-Catherine, S.Mmaee, R.Pierre-Gabriel; P.Sucic, A.Ademi; S.Kulenovic, M.Baturina, M.Pjaca; B.Petkovic.
Where to watch in India?
Fans can tune into the Sony Sports Ten 5 at 12:15 am to watch the Bayern Munich vs Dinamo Zagreb game. For those looking for a streaming option, the match will also be streaming live on the Sony Liv website and app.
Match Prediction
While both are the most successful teams of their country, when it comes to the European stage Bayern Munich towers well above their Croatian counterparts. The Bavarians have a history of getting strong starts to their UEFA Champions League campaigns and there hasn’t been anything about their performances this season which suggests that they won’t continue that tradition. Comparing their squad on paper, it won’t be surprising if Bayern Munich blow their opponent away and Zagreb’s defensive injuries might make this task easier for them.
Final Score: Bayern Munich 3-0 Dinamo Zagreb
Bayern Munich kickstart their 2024/25 UEFA Champions League campaign against Dinamo Zagbreb as they welcome the Croatian side to Allianz Arena later tonight. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
