GNK Dinamo Zagreb travel to Koprivnica on Sunday for their 10th round HNL match against Slaven Belupo. The Blues are buoyed by a positive European experience, having beaten Anderlecht 1-0 on Thursday, but they currently sit fourth in the league with 16 points, three behind leaders Hajduk Split. After eight games played, their record stands at five wins, one draw, and two losses. Their recent form across the last five matches in all competitions is three wins, one draw, and one loss.
The Sunday clash at Gradski Stadion is scheduled for 6 PM local time. For Dinamo, this is a chance to continue a run of good results in the domestic championship, after losing the derby to Hajduk 2-1 in the last league round. Prior to that, on October 4, Dinamo secured a convincing 4-0 win over Vukovar, and on September 20 they beat Lokomotiva 3-2. However, on September 12 they suffered a 4-2 defeat to Osijek.
Squad situation
The key player for success in Koprivnica will be Dion Drena Beljo. The striker converted the winning penalty in the 96th minute against Anderlecht on Tuesday and has already scored an impressive 10 goals in just seven appearances this season, making him the team's top scorer. His form will be key for breaking down the defence of the hosts, who celebrated a 4-1 win over Rijeka in their last outing.
Dinamo lined up in a 4-1-4-1 formation against the Belgian club with Kotarski in goal, and a defence of Galešić, Domínguez, Radeljić, and Perez Vinlöf. Mišić was deployed in midfield, while the attack featured Ivanušec, Stojković, Almena, and Hoxha alongside Beljo. The manager will likely make some rotations following the demanding European match.
The opponent, Slaven Belupo, occupies seventh place in the league and arrives with high confidence after their big win. In the previous meeting between these two sides on July 31st, Dinamo won 2-0 at Maksimir. The Blues will need to be wary of Belupo's attacking duo, Mitrović and Nestorovski, who were effective against Rijeka.
A victory in Koprivnica would bring them closer to the top of the standings, given that Hajduk also plays on the same day. This season they have scored 18 goals and conceded 11, giving them a goal difference of plus seven. The next challenge for the Blues comes as early as Thursday in the Europa League, meaning management will have to carefully manage the squad's energy.
