Away goals can often be crucial in two legged European ties and this may be the case in this tie between Odd BK and Dinamo Zagreb. The Croatian team travel to Norway for the second leg on Thursday night with a 2-1 advantage from the first match at the Stadion Maksimir but Odd BK have what could be a crucial away goal. Odd BK have little experience of European football. Their best effort came in 2015/16 when they reached the playoff round of the Europa League only to be soundly beaten 11-5 by Borussia Dortmund on aggregate. Dinamo Zagreb are the most successful club in Croatian football and have played numerous times in the Champions League and Europa League. They have reached the group stages of both competitions in recent years.
Odd BK Form
Odd BK came into this tie as the outsiders against a team who have recently contested the group stages of the Champions League and they currently sit 10th in their domestic league. Their match on the weekend was postponed and they have had all week to prepare for this game. Odd BK are proven to be a good team when playing at home and have lost only 2 of their previous 12 home competitive games in all competitions. Defensively, they have conceded just 2 goals in their last 5 home games, keeping 4 cleans sheets which could be significant. In the Europa League, Odd BK have lost 1 of their previous 8 home games.
Dinamo Zagreb Form
The domestic Croatian season has only just started and this may be the reason why Dinamo Zagreb struggled in the first leg of this tie. Following the 2-1 victory over Odd BK, Dinamo Zagreb were held by Osijek in the 1.HNL on the weekend, their first dropped points in 3 games. In the Europa League, Dinamo Zagreb have won 2 of their last 6 games, one of which was the victory in the first leg of this tie. Away from home in the Europa League Dinamo Zagreb have lost 7 of their last 8 games, 6 of which were by a scoreline which would see them eliminated from the tournament this season.
Team News
Odd BK like to play in a 4-3-3 formation, with Sigurd Haugen, Rafik Zekhnini and Riku Riski as the front three but this may change depending on who is available. Dinamo Zagreb have no major injury concerns ahead of this match and are expected to start with Armin Hodzic and Junior Fernandes in attack.
Top Betting Tips
Dinamo Zagreb come into this match as favourites to win it with the bookmakers, priced at 19/20 with Ladbrokes but Odd BK will be no pushover. The Norwegian’s may not be at their best domestically but in the Europa League they have been good at home. Odd BK to win at 5/2 with Ladbrokes is a tempting bet.
Odd BK have conceded an average of 0.5 goals at home this season and kept 3 clean sheets in their last 4 home Europa League games. Dinamo Zagreb have kept just 1 clean sheet in their last 11 European away games. Odd BK can be backed at 11/2 with Ladbrokes to win the match to nil. Following the same theory, the correct score bet of 1-0 in favour of Odd BK is tempting at 10/1 with William Hill.