In the play-offs of the Champions League, Rosenborg and Dinamo Zagreb are fighting for one of the last tickets for the European champions ball. Last week’s first leg on Croatian soil ended in a 2-0 win for Dinamo Zagreb, so Rosenborg needs a big win on Tuesday evening at its own Lerkendal Stadium to clear that backlog.
Rosenborg:
Rosenborg stands for a hell of a job. The Norwegian champion will have to score at least twice on Tuesday evening to keep her Champions League dream alive. In addition, the team of coach Eirik Horneland should not lose sight of her defensive tasks, because in the event of a goal, the team even has to score no less than four times.
In particular, the fact that Rosenborg was unable to score an important away goal last week, ensures that this diptych actually seems to have largely been played. Especially in the second half, the Norwegians did get some chances, with the Nigerian attacker Babajide Akintola even hitting the bar. But yes, if you can really play football, you obviously don’t play at a club like Rosenborg. According to transfermarket.com, the selection is worth less than twenty million euros in total, while the Dinamo Zagreb selection represents a value of almost 74 million euros. The price tag of course does not always say everything, but in this case the differences are of course huge. Rosenborg is a team full of hard workers, but there is not a single player for whom you come to the stadium. The 31-year-old Nicklas Bendtner is the only star on paper, but the former Arsenal prodigy has been sidelined in the Lerkendal Stadium and has not played for nearly four months.
Dinamo Zagreb:
Thanks to its 2-0 win last week, Dinamo Zagreb is already one leg in the group stage of the Champions League. Especially in the first half, the Croats made an impression. Bruno Petkovic and Mislav Orsic soon made the home crowd cheer, while Dani Olmo and Nikola Moro were also close by. After tea, the home club took some gas back, but since goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic managed to keep his goal clean, Dinamo Zagreb can now step onto the plane to Norway with confidence. A goal away on Tuesday evening is most likely sufficient to put the diptych in the final slot.
For Dinamo Zagreb, the millions and prestige of the Champions League are of course very welcome. It might be enough to convince star player Dani Olmo to stay active for another season in the Maksimir Stadium. The young playmaker, who became European champion this summer with Spain Under 21, is in the interest of Ajax and Atletico Madrid, among others. With this player, Dinamo Zagreb has absolute gold in their hands. In his four duels in the preliminary rounds of the Champions League, Olmo scored three goals and two assists.
