Ten facts as Celtic face Dinamo Zagreb in UCL

Celtic are in Croatia to face Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League. The Scottish Champions have eight points and will be looking to secure three points in a bid to secure passage to the next phase of the competition.

Thanks to One Football, we have ten interesting facts about the meeting between the sides.

1. This will be the seventh meeting between Dinamo Zagreb and Celtic in European competition (including qualifiers), with both teams sharing three wins each in the previous six.

2. The last time these teams met was back in December 2014, with Dinamo Zagreb winning 4–3 at home to Celtic in the UEFA Europa League group stage. This remains the most goals they’ve scored in a game against a British side in major European competition.

3. Among teams to have played 50+ games in the UEFA Champions League, Dinamo Zagreb (68%) and Celtic (57%) are two of the three sides who’ve lost the highest percentage of their games (along with Anderlecht – 58%).

4. Both of Dinamo Zagreb’s victories in the UEFA Champions League this season have come away from home (2–0 v RB Salzburg and 4–1 v Slovan Bratislava). On home soil, they’ve only won two of their last 13 games in the competition (D3 L8) and are winless in their last four (D2 L2).

5. Unbeaten in their last three (W1 D2), Celtic will be looking to go four games unbeaten in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League for the first time since October 1986 (4 – W3 D1).

6. Dinamo Zagreb had an expected goals total of just 0.14 in their previous UEFA Champions League game (0–3 v Borussia Dortmund). Only one side has had a lower total in a home match in the competition so far this season: Slovan Bratislava (0.1) v Manchester City.

7. Dinamo Zagreb have been the most direct side in possession in the UEFA Champions League this season, progressing the ball upfield (in open play) quicker than every other team on average (2.02 metres per second).

8. All three of Marko Pjaca’s goals for Dinamo Zagreb in European competition have been scored against Celtic, courtesy of a hat-trick he netted against them back in December 2014. Indeed, he remains the youngest player to score a European hat-trick for the Croatian side (aged 19y 219d v Celtic).

9. Daizen Maeda has netted three goals for Celtic in the UEFA Champions League this season. The last player to score more for the club in a single European Cup/Champions League campaign was Joseph Craig back in 1977/1978 (4).

10. Celtic’s Nicolas Kühn has created seven chances following a carry (travelling 5+ metres with the ball) in the UEFA Champions League this season; the joint-most of any player in the competition (level with Gabriel Martinelli, Florian Wirtz and Johan Bakayoko).