After winning 2-0 in the first leg, Dinamo Zagreb have made the trip to the Georgian capital for the second leg of this Champions League qualifier. Having secured a pleasing victory at home, the focus will now be on finishing the job and moving one step closer to a lucrative place in the group stages of the competition.
The team from Zagreb were expected to come through the first leg of this tie unscathed and that certainly proved to the be case. Their win at home was reasonably comfortable. Tbilisi didn’t exactly sit back and roll over, quite the opposite, they came to play and tried to press forward, but, although they had 14 shots on goal, they only managed two on target and were never really able to threaten. In the end their spirited attacking efforts and refusal to simply sit back probably contributed to their downfall as it allowed Zagreb more attacking ground to play with.
In this second leg, at 2-0 down, the Georgian side really do have it all to do. They must, once again, come out and play, there really is no other option. If they’re to have any hopes of coming through this tie then have to score at least two goals, this means attacking. As was the case in the first leg, such tactics will please Zagreb as they will be able to exploit the space left in behind.
Zagreb scored twice in the first leg and the opportunity for them to do so again looks good. At odds of 6/5, ‘Zagreb To Score Over 1.5 Goals’ is the way to play this one.
It’s no secret that the side from Croatia are capable of scoring goals, especially against inferior opposition. They’ve scored two or more in four of their last five games. While Tbilisi have conceded two or more in three of their last five, including when playing against Zagreb last week.
This really is the ideal situation. We know that Tbilisi have to attack in this game, they can’t afford not to. With this in mind, Zagreb will know that all they have to do is be patient and the goal scoring opportunities will arise. Particularly on the counter. Denying the Georgians an away goal last week was critical and now they can really put their opposition to the sword by scoring away goals of their own.
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