The UEFA Champions League is back and in their first European fixture of the season, Arsenal take on Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb.
The Croatian side are back in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in three years but do not boast the best record in the competition. They are currently on a 15-game loss streak which extends all the way back to 1999 when they beat SK Sturm Graz 3-0. Zagreb have never progressed past the group stage and are yet to beat an English side in the competition. However, the Croatian’s are currently on a 41 match unbeaten streak in all competitions and look to be close to their best ever form.
Arsene Wenger’s side have previously played Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League back in the 2006/2007 qualifying round where the Gunners ran away with a 5-1 victory. The two clubs were also in contact during the transfer of Eduardo to Arsenal who initially impressed but lost his place in the team following a horrendous injury.
One man who the Gunners must keep an eye on is Hilal Soudani, who has scored six goals in his last five appearances for the club. The Algerian striker is a regular for his national side and is the current top scorer in the African Cup of Nations qualifying round as well as being voted the best player at the 2011 AFCON. Soudani isn’t the tallest or quickest of players, but he is an exceptional finisher. He excels at running onto through balls and slotting past the keeper, he is also dangerous in the air and has been known to score a few headers in his time as well. Arsene Wenger’s side must make sure that they force the Algerian out wide and away from goal so that he isn’t presented with chances to shoot.
Another player that Arsenal must be cautious of is Armin Hodzic. The former Liverpool striker is in a purple patch at the moment for Dinamo Zagreb after netting five times in six appearances. The 20-year-old Bosnian impressed hugely in the Bosnian youth leagues after breaking most of their goalscoring records and was also impressive while out on loan at Zeljeznicar in Bosnia. Hodzic is another fine finisher of the ball and so it is imperative that he is man marked by either one of the Arsenal centre backs.
The final player worth noting in the Zagreb team is Angelo Henriquez, who during his loan with the club during the 2014/15 season was in unstoppable form after scoring 30 goals in 37 appearances. The Chilean has been in incredible form for the Croatian side for over a year now and still looks as comfortable in front of goal as anybody. Similarly to Hodzic, Henriquez is another player that excels at goal poaching and so will again need to be man-marked. However, another way to cut him off is to push all of Zagreb’s creative players out wide so that their options are extremely limited.
In terms of how Arsenal need to play, they need not go into the game overconfident like they did against West Ham because they will more than likely be caught on the counter attack. The Gunners will undoubtedly control the game in terms of possession, but they must focus on making the most of the chances that they create. The main criticism of the north London club this season is the way that they waste the chances that they make.
With both Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud finding the back of the net against Stoke, there will be the expectation for them to produce again in Europe and so they will need to have their finishing boots on to overcome Zagreb’s defence.
