Dinamo Zagreb take their second step on the ladder leading to the promised land of the Champions League group stage on Tuesday, when they host Omonia at Stadion Maksimir.
The champions of Croatia will meet their Cypriot counterparts having come through the first round of qualifying last week, now seeking to convert their domestic dominance into tangible European progress.
Match preview
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After their adventure to the quarter-finals of last season's Europa League - remaining unbeaten in Group K and taking down Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16 - Dinamo Zagreb are more keen than ever to return to the top table of continental competition this term.
Having bounced back admirably from the heartbreak of missing out in the Champions League third qualifying round in 2020-21, the Croatian champions of four years in a row started the current campaign at the first stage of the process.
Last Tuesday, the Modri advanced to the second qualifying round after defeating Iceland's Valur 2-0 in Reykjavik, following a 3-2 victory in Zagreb.
With the concept of away goals now a thing of the past, conceding twice on home soil and nearly blowing a three-goal lead did not prove too much of a hindrance to Damir Krznar's side in the second leg, as Luka Ivanusec scored in the 31st minute and much-admired Mislav Orsic netted in the dying moments of the game to seal a 5-2 aggregate result.
Previously warming up for the season with three successive friendly wins - Dinamo's first outings since a spectacular 6-3 triumph in the Croatian Cup final in May - all appeared to be smooth sailing for head coach Krznar, who took the job in curious circumstances due to a prison sentence for his former colleague Zoran Mamic.
However, the 22-times national champions started their latest defence of the title with a deflating 2-0 reverse at Slaven Belupo on Friday, despite completely dominating possession and firing 21 shots on goal - tellingly, only two ended up on target.
Such a setback is unlikely to destabilise a habitually successful side, though, so they will expect to take a lead to Cyprus ahead of next week's deciding leg.
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Intriguingly, shortly before their two-legged tie gets underway, Dinamo have agreed to loan opponents Omonia their Nigerian winger Iyayi Atiemwen for the rest of the season - with the Cypriot champions having the option to sign a player that has scored nine times in 40 appearances for the Croatian club on a permanent deal next summer.
This summer, head coach Henning Berg has also brought in American veteran Mix Diskerud and former Real Mallorca defender Hector Yuste on free transfers to bolster his squad before their European campaign gets going at the second qualifying stage.
Having not been required to make it through the previous round, Omonia's first competitive match of the new season came last Tuesday, when the Nicosia-based side lifted the Cypriot Super Cup; beating Anorthosis on penalties following a 1-1 draw.
Also unbeaten in three recent friendlies - versus Apollon, Wisla Plock and Gornik Zabrze - Berg's men are accustomed to success domestically, though finished bottom of their Europa League group last year.
They will have been unsettled by disruption behind the scenes in recent weeks, as the owners of their stadium effectively evicted them due to unpaid debts, but are expected to be allowed access for European games only - starting with next week's second leg.
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Team News
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After Dinamo fielded a weakened side in the opening match of their first qualifying round tie - allowing several Croatia internationals a prolonged post-Euros rest - coach Damir Krznar brought his biggest names back in for their two most recent games. Therefore, Spurs slayer Mislav Orsic, striker Bruno Petkovic and winger Luka Ivanusec will comprise a menacing forward line on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Swiss left-back Francois Moubandje - who spent last season on loan at Alanyaspor - could also feature after a surprise selection in Iceland, though Daniel Stefulj was restored to the lineup in the league.
In midfield, club captain Arijan Ademi will compete with Bosnia's Amer Gojak for a spot alongside Lovro Majer, who was cut from Croatia's squad at the final hurdle.
Omonia's Slovakia pair, Michal Duris and Tomas Hubocan were both on national duty in June, but returned to the team for last week's Super Cup success and should start once again.
Adam Lang represented Hungary at the Euros, and he is expected to team up with Hubocan at the heart of the visitors' defence, while Duris could be paired with Marko Scepovic in attack.
Dinamo Zagreb possible starting lineup:
Livakovic; Ristovski, Theophile-Catherine, Lauritsen, Stefulj; Franjic; Ivanusec, Majer, Ademi, Orsic; Petkovic
Omonia possible starting lineup:
Fabiano; Abdullahi, Lang, Hubocan, Lecjaks; Bautheac, Gomez, Papoulis, Charalambous; Scepovic, Duris
We say: Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 Omonia
Dinamo have had the benefit of two legs against Valur to prepare them for this Tuesday's challenge, so are likely to capitalise on home advantage and the return of their star men to the side.
Henning Berg's visitors, though, can offer much experience and a handful of players capable of causing damage in the final third, so must be fancied to bag at least one goal to keep them in contention until next week's return in Zagreb.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Dinamo Zagreb win with a probability of 55%. A draw had a probability of 22.9% and a win for Omonia had a probability of 22.12%.
The most likely scoreline for a Dinamo Zagreb win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.04%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.85%) and 2-0 (9.17%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.78%), while for a Omonia win it was 0-1 (5.9%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 9.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Dinamo Zagreb would win this match.
