Stadium: Gradski stadion Varazdin (Varazdin)
Sunday, 19 February 2023, 17:00
Dinamo visits Varazdin on Saturday at 17:00 in the 22nd round of the SuperSport HNL. Ante Cacic's team travels to Varazdin after a 3:1 victory against Split in the round of 16 of the Cup, and with a big eight-point lead over Hajduk, which still have a game in hand.
It is quite clear that a miracle would have to happen for Dinamo to not defend the league title, which is the main goal at Maksimir every year. Dinamo did not have the best start to the rest of the season, but even with only two wins in four games, they even managed to increase their advantage over Hajduk. In addition to being of significantly better quality, Dinamo even when they don't play well take a point against Gorica or Slaven, while Hajduk in such situations lose in Pula against Istra or at home to Rijeka.
Varazdin
Varazdin is in decline, and quite a big one, because in the last two rounds they suffered a painful defeat in the last minutes against Istra with a heavy downpour a week ago against Hajduk by as much as 4:1. They fell apart with one less player, which is not at all surprising after the disappointment in Pula. At this moment, Dinamo is definitely not a team to take out, so the home team will have a hard time avoiding defeat. For Varazdin, the crisis of results were inevitable as the season moved on, and the best teams grew, and not even the schedule was in their favor. This can already be felt by the drop in results, which, given everything that has been said, is completely expected. Varazdin is currently in 7th position in the table with 27 points.
Dinamo Zagreb
The visiting coach stated that his team is troubled by certain problems with illnesses and injuries. Menalo, Ademi and Bočkaj are questionable for Ante Cacic, but these absences mean almost nothing for a team with a rotation like Dinamo. The current champion has a large pool of players who compete for the always unpleasant clash in Varazdin, in which three points would ideally serve the Zagreb club to continue their ascent. After four league rounds in the new half-season, the Blues have two wins and two draws with a victory over Split in the cup. Overall, even with the hiccups, Dinamo currently put enormous pressure on Hajduk, they are doing much better and are deservedly on their way to the title. Varazdin was an unpleasant opponent on their turf early in the season when Dinamo's main focus was on the Champions League. The Zagreb club arrived tired at the time against a cheerful and well-rested host, who stole a point from them with an equalizing goal in the second half. Today the situation is different, so everything except the guest celebration will be a real surprise.
Expert Betting Tips
As part of the single bet, it is worth taking a risk with the option that Dinamo will celebrate and that we will see at least two goals in the match. Varazdin plays attacking football and will certainly not defend the entire game and spend the entire game within its own penalty area. This will leave room for the visitors, who are a much better team and maybe two classes above their opponents.