The pre-season club friendly between Dinamo Zagreb and Astana will take place at Stadion Maksimir on Tuesday at 11:30 pm IST.
Dinamo Zagreb will kick off their 2023/24 Champions League campaign by facing Astana in the second qualifying round on Tuesday. Astana advanced to this stage by defeating Dinamo Tbilisi 3-2 on aggregate, and they will be eager to secure a favorable result in the first leg at Stadion Maksimir.
Dinamo Zagreb has extensive experience in the Champions League qualifying rounds, making it to the group stage in six of the last 12 seasons. However, they have struggled in the group stage, finishing bottom on all six occasions, including last season. Under the guidance of former Liverpool midfielder Igor Biscan, they won their 24th Prva HNL title but suffered a disappointing opening day defeat to Hadjuk Split. Biscan will be determined to bounce back with a victory against Astana in the qualifying round to avoid the pressure of needing a win in Kazakhstan for progression.
Astana has only reached the Champions League group stage once, finishing at the bottom in the 2015/16 season. They dominated the Kazakhstan Premier League from 2014 to 2019, winning six consecutive titles. In recent years, they missed out on the top spot with third and second-place finishes in 2020 and 2021 respectively. However, they regained the crown last season, narrowly edging out Aktobe. Under the management of former CSKA Moscow assistant coach Grigori Babayan, Astana showed great spirit by coming from behind to knock out Dinamo Tbilisi in Georgia. Babayan will be encouraged by their performance and will hope for a positive result against Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia on Tuesday.
Dinamo Zagreb probable starting lineup: Livakovic, Moharrami, Peric, Sutalo, Ljubicic, Bulat, Misic, Spikic, Baturina, Ivanusec, Petkovic
Astana probable starting lineup: Condric, Marochkin, Tomasevic, Amanovic, Beisebekov, Jovancic, Ebong, Vorogovskiy, Tomasov, Ourega, Darboe
Dinamo Zagreb
| Opponents | Score |
| Hajduk Split | 1-2 (L) |
| Hajduk Split | 1-0 (W) |
| Sparta Prague | 1-1 (D) |
| CSKA 1948 Sofia | 3-2 (W) |
| Koper | 2-2 (D) |
Astana
| Opponents | Score |
| Atyrau | 0-0 (D) |
| Dinamo Tbilisi | 2-1 (W) |
| Dinamo Tbilisi | 1-1 (D) |
| Ordabasy | 0-2 (L) |
| Kaspij Aktau | 2-1 (W) |
| Results | Score |
| Dinamo Zagreb beat Astana | 1-0 |
| Dinamo Zagreb beat Astana | 2-0 |
The pre-season club friendly between Dinamo Zagreb and Astana will take place at Stadion Maksimir on Tuesday at 11:30 pm IST.
| Dinamo Zagreb vs Astana | Key Details |
| Date | July 25 |
| Venue | Stadion Maksimir |
| Kickoff time in Croatia | 8:00 pm (Tuesday) |
| Kickoff time in Kazakhstan | 12:00 am (Wednesday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 11:30 pm (Tuesday) |
Football fans in Kazakhstan can catch the live action via Qazsport while those in England can watch the match via discovery+.
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