Dinamo Zagreb vs. Genk – News and Probable Lineups

After failing to reach the last 16 in the Europa League, Genk heads to Croatia to face Dinamo Zagreb in the first leg of their knockout round playoff at Stadion Maksimir on Thursday.

Yet to secure a win in their two prior meetings with the Croatian side, Nicky Hayen’s squad will aim for a breakthrough this time around as they pursue a positive outcome to take into the return leg at Cegeka Arena next week.

Match overview

Mario Kovacevic’s Dinamo had a disappointing league phase in the Europa League, unable to build on an encouraging start.

They remained unbeaten for 270 minutes, gathering seven points from nine available after winning two matches 3-1 against Fenerbahce and Maccabi Tel Aviv, followed by a 1-1 draw against Malmo.

However, they suffered substantial defeats against three clubs from Europe’s top leagues – Celta Vigo, Lille, and Real Betis – which put them in a tough position for a coveted top eight finish after eight matchdays.

The Blues failed to achieve a clean sheet during the first three matchdays, allowing four goals in the loss to Lille and three in their defeats to their Spanish adversaries, underlining the disparity in class and quality.

Ultimately, four losses in their final five matchdays, following an unbeaten beginning, prevented Modri from securing a top eight place and a seeded position in the knockout playoff, culminating in a 23rd-place finish, just squeezing into the top 24, as they now aim to extend their unbeaten streak in this fixture.

The teams previously met in the group stage under the older format, with the Zagreb-based team earning four points from both encounters; achieving a similar record would see them advance to the round of 16.

Kovacevic’s team comes into Thursday’s match with a three-match unbeaten streak in the league, having netted seven times while conceding just one; this run includes home victories over Vukovar ’91 (3-1) and Istra (4-0). The Blues, who have previously secured wins against Lokomotiva (2-0) and FCSB (4-1) at Stadion Maksimir, are targeting their fifth consecutive victory in front of their home fans.

However, this task may prove challenging against their Belgian rivals, who are unbeaten since suffering a 2-1 defeat to Zulte Waregem in mid-January.

Since then, the Smurfs have remained undefeated in six matches across all competitions, achieving five victories as they vie for a championship round position in their domestic league, narrowly missing out on a top eight position in Europe.

Hayen’s squad finished level on 16 points with Roma after eight rounds, with four clubs from fourth to seventh ending with 17; however, they did not qualify due to Roma’s superior goal difference.

Now looking to move past that disappointment, one of the more consistent teams in the league phases aims to continue their strong continental campaign by breaking their two-match winless streak against their Thursday opponents.

Traveling fans should be optimistic, having seen their team collect nine points from a possible 12 during their travels in this competition, with wins over Rangers (1-0), Braga (4-3), and FC Utrecht (2-0), along with a 1-0 setback against Midtjylland.

A clean sheet could be challenging, as Dinamo has scored in all but one home match in 15 games at Stadion Maksimir, indicating an intriguing matchup is anticipated.

Team News

Ismael Bennacer has not played since sustaining an injury during a league match in late January, and his hamstring strain is expected to keep him sidelined for Thursday’s first leg.

While midfielder Dejan Ljubicic, who netted twice, has moved to Schalke 04, the hosts can still count on Dion Drena Beljo and Monsef Bakrar, each contributing four and two Europa League goals this season, respectively.

Although only Ludogorets’ Petar Stanic (seven goals) and Nottingham Forest’s Igor Jesus (six goals) have scored more than Beljo in the league phase, the forward’s goals came in just two matches—two braces against Fenerbahce and FCSB—suggesting that a more diverse scoring contribution may be necessary to support the Blues’ efforts.

On the other hand, Genk seems to have no injury issues ahead of this first leg, a positive development for Hayen as they head to Zagreb.

Despite the departure of three-goal forward Hyun-gyu Oh to Besiktas, the Belgian side had a decent distribution of goals during the league phase, with Daan Heymans (three) and Konstantinos Karetsas (two) making multiple contributions.

Heymans and Karetsas have also made impacts through their chance creation and assists, delivering three and two assists respectively, highlighting their dual threat.

Dinamo Zagreb probable starting XI:

Livakovic; Valincic, Dominguez, McKenna, Vinlof; Stojkovic, Misic, Zajc; Bakrar, Beljo, Hoxha

Genk probable starting XI:

Lawal; Ouahdi, Sadick, Smiths, Medina; Heynen, Bangor, Heymans; Carrots, Mirisola, Ito

While Dinamo poses a significant challenge at Stadion Maksimir, Genk has demonstrated their capabilities on the road with three victories during the league phase.

It is difficult to separate these two evenly matched teams, and we foresee a draw that leaves the tie unresolved.