Kick-off: 1745, 16/09/2021
Stadium: Stadion Maksimir
TV: BT Sport
West Ham are back in Europe and will be determined to get off to a flying start as they head to Croatia for their opening Europa League match.
The Hammers are unbeaten in the Premier League after four matches but now begin the challenge of also competing in Europe, which could stretch their squad.
Qualifying for the knockout stage as quickly as possible has to be the aim and we fancy an away win at 23/20 as our opening Dinamo Zagreb vs West Ham prediction.
A Look At Dinamo Zagreb’s Betting Odds
Dinamo made it through three rounds of Champions League qualifying but failed to make it to the group stage after a 3-0 aggregate defeat against FC Sheriff, with all the goals coming in the first leg.
That saw them drop down to the Europa League and they will be hoping for a similar run as last season when they famously knocked out Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham on their way to the quarter-finals before losing to eventual winners Villarreal.
They are currently top of the league in Croatia on goal difference and have been defensively solid in recent weeks, keeping six clean sheets in seven matches in all competitions.
We expect West Ham to come out on top but a tight match looks likely so an away win and under 3.5 goals at 2/1 is a way to back the visitors at a bigger price in the Dinamo Zagreb vs West Ham odds.
A Look At West Ham United’s Betting Odds
Hammers boss David Moyes may have had to reconsider his team selection plans following Michail Antonio’s late red card in Saturday’s goalless draw at winless Southampton.
In-form Antonio arrived on the south coast as the Premier League’s leading scorer and having been crowned the top flight’s August player of the month on Friday.
But his first club appearance in September ended in ignominy after he picked up a second yellow card in the fifth minute of added time as the unbeaten Hammers missed the chance to go top of the table.
With the Europa League campaign to contend with this term, Moyes had spoken in the build-up to the game of needing to manage Antonio’s minutes having failed to recruit a direct understudy during the transfer window.
The 31-year-old will now be suspended for next weekend’s league clash with Manchester United and Moyes suggested that could affect his planning for this game.
Asked if the trip to the Croatia was a chance to try other options, Moyes replied: “I think maybe you might think the other way and think you should play because he’s not available for the Man United game, so there are a couple of ways to look at it.
“We don’t want Mic to go weeks and weeks without playing.”
Antonio had scored four goals and provided three assists in the opening three games so for our final Dinamo Zagreb vs West Ham prediction, let’s back him to score in a West Ham win at 11/4.
Additional stats
Last result:
DINAMO ZAGREB 2-0 Sibenik – Rasmus Lauritsen, Luka Ivanusec
Southampton 0-0 WEST HAM
Head-to-head: N/A
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