Zagreb winless against French teams since 1994

Early Thursday evening, OSC Lille welcomes Dinamo Zagreb to its home stadium, Stade Pierre Mauroy. The French have had a fairly balanced record in the Europa League so far, winning two games but also losing two. This puts them in 19th place in the table with a goal difference of 6:6. Zagreb, on the other hand, is in twelfth place in the table with only one defeat, one draw, and two wins. Lille has a pattern at home, as they have never lost the second half in nine home games – they have won it six times. Therefore, our Lille vs. Dinamo Zagreb tip is “Lille wins the second half.”

Lille goes into this match with a positive attitude, as the club is unbeaten in four games against Croatian opponents. However, their recent European home performances have been inconsistent. Lille have lost two of their last three games at their own stadium, after previously suffering only a few defeats over a long period of time. The last time they suffered two home defeats in a single competition was in the 2012/13 Champions League, which illustrates how unusual their current home form is.

Hamza Igamane is a decisive ray of hope. The striker is one of the most impressive players of the Europa League season. With seven shots on goal and three goals scored, he ranks at the top of the competition statistics. His record of five goals in seven home games in the Europa League shows how strong he is in front of his home crowd. In our Lille vs. Dinamo Zagreb prediction, we are betting on another goal from him.

Dinamo Zagreb are in a difficult position, as they have not won against a French team since a 3-1 victory over Auxerre in September 1994. In the 13 games since then, Zagreb have drawn three and lost ten. This run is a clear indicator of how challenging matches against French teams traditionally are for the club.

Their most recent UEFA Europa League group match was also sobering. The clear 3-0 defeat to Celta Vigo highlighted the current shortcomings in the balance between defense and offense. On a positive note, however, Zagreb rarely loses two group games in a row. The last time this happened was in the 2014/15 season, when the team experienced a prolonged negative phase between the second and fifth matchdays.

Lille – Dinamo Zagreb Head-to-head record

This is the first ever meeting between the two teams.

Lille – Dinamo Zagreb Tip

In the match between Lille and Dinamo Zagreb, the betting odds clearly favor the French, but the Croatians should not be underestimated. The visitors have lost only one of their four Europa League games (the last one) and have not lost twice in a row in the group stage of a European competition since 2014/15. However, what speaks in favor of the hosts is Zagreb’s poor record against French teams – since 1994, they have not won a single one of their last 13 matches and have suffered ten defeats.

Lille, on the other hand, have been very solid at home, winning six of their nine competitive matches. They have scored 16 of their 20 goals after the break and have not lost a single second half at home, winning six of them. Striker Hamza Igamane has also been strong at home, scoring five goals in the last seven Europa League home games.