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Dinamo Zagreb v Skënderbeu background

Dinamo Zagreb welcome Skënderbeu in the deciding leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off tie, the Croatian champions closing in on a group stage place.

Dinamo Zagreb after making it 2-1 in Albania
Dinamo Zagreb after making it 2-1 in Albania ©AFP/Getty Images

Dinamo Zagreb scored a late winner in the play-off first leg in Albania, leaving Skënderbeu with a mountain to climb if they are to become the first Albanian club to reach the UEFA Champions League group stage.

Previous meetings
Josip Pivarić struck deep into added time in Elbasan as Dinamo came from behind to earn a 2-1 victory in the first leg. It was the sides' first meeting and also Skënderbeu's first experience of Croatian opposition.

• Dinamo's only previous encounter with Albanian opponents was a 10-2 aggregate triumph against KF Tirana in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup preliminary round. Dinamo's coach in that game, Otto Barić, later managed the Albanian national team.

Form guide
• Skënderbeu's position is not hopeless; Dinamo have lost two of their last six UEFA qualifying home matches (W2 D2 L2), both those defeats coming by two-goal margins.

• Skënderbeu's 2-0 success at Milsami Orhei in the last round was their first European away win in eight outings (W1 D2 L5).

• Dinamo last contested the UEFA Champions League group stage in 2012/13, yet lost their most recent UEFA Champions League play-off, to Austria Wien in 2013/14.

• Skënderbeu are in their first play-off and are sure to make Albanian history, since they will become the first Albanian club to appear in a major UEFA competition group stage regardless of the outcome against Dinamo.

• Dinamo are unbeaten in five UEFA Champions League qualifiers this term (W2 D3).

• Skënderbeu's 2-0 victory at Milsami Orhei in the third qualifying round was their first win in eight UEFA competition away fixtures (W1 D2 L5).

• Albania and Croatia have never met at senior international level.

• In 13 previous encounters between the countries' clubs in Europe, the Croatian representative have recorded seven victories to the Albanians' four with two games drawn.

• No Albanian side have won in Croatia in six attempts (D1 L5).

Links and trivia
• Skënderbeu's Croatian defender Marko Radaš came through the Dinamo academy but never made a professional appearance for the club.

• Skënderbeu captain – and first-leg goalscorer Blendi Shkëmbi – played in Croatia from 2001–04, for Rijeka and Kamen Ingrad; he faced Dinamo six times with the record W0 D2 L4.

• Several other Skënderbeu players have Croatian league know-how: Sabien Lilaj (Lokomotiva Zagreb 2011–12), Arbër Abilaliaj (Inter Zaprešić 2010–12) and Bulgarian forward Ventsislav Hristov (Rijeka 2014–15).

• Lilaj played alongside Dinamo's Domagoj Antolić and Josip Pivarić at Lokomotiva.

• Dinamo boast Albanian talent in the form of 18-year-old midfielder Endri Çekiçi, an Albanian Under-21 international. His father, Ylli Çekiçi, is a former Skënderbeu player.

• Dinamo midfielder Arijan Ademi was born in Croatia and plays international football for FYR Macedonia but is an Albanian speaker.

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