H. Be’er Sheva vs. Dinamo Zagreb – News and Probable Lineups

On Wednesday evening, Hapoel Be’er Sheva hosts Dinamo Zagreb at the Superbet Arena-Giulesti as they kick off their group stage matches in this year’s UEFA Europa League.

The Camels secured a solid 2-0 victory in their last league fixture against Hapoel Petah Tikva, in contrast, Modri suffered a 4-2 defeat against Osijek at the Opus Arena.

Match overview

After finishing top of Ligat ha’Al for the first time in eight years last season, just three points ahead of Beitar Jerusalem, H. Be’er Sheva entered the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds for only the fourth time in their history this summer.

After eliminating Icelandic club Vikingur Reykjavik in the quarterfinals, Ran Kozuch’s team achieved a landmark 3-0 aggregate win over Red Star to reach the crucial qualification match, only to ultimately fall to Sabah Baku in extra time in their debut European season and have now shifted focus to the Europa League.

While there might be some disappointment about missing the chance for their first-ever participation in the Champions League, H. Be’er Sheva is involved in European football’s second-tier tournament for just the fourth time and will be hoping to surpass their best result of reaching the Round of 32 back in the 2016-17 season.

Nonetheless, following a rocky start to the current league season, having won only two of their first four games, the Camels must raise their performance significantly in this tournament opener to overcome Dinamo Zagreb, a team they have yet to defeat.

After narrowly losing out on the league title to Rijeka based on head-to-head results in the 2024-25 HNL season, Dinamo Zagreb bounced back by clinching their eighth league title in nine years last season, which earned them a spot in the Champions League qualifiers.

Similar to their opponents for Wednesday, Modri breezed through the initial two rounds by besting FC Thun and Lithuanian outfit Kauno Zalgiris, setting them up for the final qualifier against Viking, where they suffered a 3-1 loss in the away leg after drawing the home match, resulting in their exit from the competition.

This season marks Dinamo Zagreb’s fourth main campaign in the Europa League in the last six years. Their goal will be to improve upon their quarterfinal showing from the 2020-21 season. Following a strong start where they have dropped just one of their first six league matches and sit three points off first place with a game in hand, their domestic form could be vital in achieving this.

Having remained unbeaten in their last four encounters with Israeli teams – including a 5-0 victory over Hapoel Be’er Sheva during the 2018-19 Champions League qualifiers – the visitors come into this fixture as favorites and hold confidence that they can maintain this positive trend.

Team News

H. Be’er Sheva’s Djibril Thialaw Diop and Eliel Peretz will both miss this match after serving suspensions due to receiving second yellow cards during the Champions League tie against Sabah Baku; Peretz was also sent off in the Ligat ha’Al last week.

The Camels are without forward Dan Biton, who continues to be sidelined due to ongoing heart issues, while Roy Levy and Yoan Stoyanov have been omitted from Kozuch’s squad for this competition.

With Biton, who netted a commendable 15 league goals last season, unavailable, Peruvian striker Adrian Ugarriza is expected to lead the attacking line for the hosts.

For Dinamo Zagreb, left-back Bruno Goda will be absent on Wednesday as he deals with an illness. Additionally, Daniel Rodriguez, a 21-year-old midfielder who arrived from Barcelona earlier this year, has yet to feature for the Croatian club.

Croatian players Robert Mudrazija, Ivan Nevistic, and Fran Topic were not selected in Kovacevic’s squad, alongside Noah Nsoki, Aleks Stojakovic, and Paul Tabinas.

24-year-old forward Dion Beljo, who scored a league-leading 31 goals last season, remains a key player for Modri, carrying on his impressive form into this season with seven goals and three assists in his five HNL appearances to date.

Hapoel Be’er Sheva probable starting XI:

Marciano; Mizrahi, Miguel Vitor, Nachmias, Amador; Yehoshua, Canaan, Hazut; East, Ugarriza, Abu Rumi

Dinamo Zagreb probable starting XI:

Kotarski; Galesic, Dominguez, McKenna, Perez Vinlof; Muscle; Lisica, Stojkovic, Zajc, Ivanusec; White

Having registered wins in all three of their domestic European matches this season, H. Be’er Sheva will be optimistic about claiming all three points once again at the Superbet Arena-Giulesti on Wednesday night.

However, with Dinamo Zagreb possessing a deeper pool of European experience and arguably a more skilled squad, the visitors are likely to initiate their Europa League campaign with a victory ahead of their first home match against Anderlecht next month.