GNK Dinamo vs Celtic facts
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Article summary
Previous meetings, form guides, links and trivia ahead of the UEFA Champions League league phase Matchday 6 fixture.
Article top media content
Article body
GNK Dinamo and Celtic will both look to press their claims for a place in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds when they meet in Zagreb on Matchday 6.
The Croatian champions have seven points, one behind their Scottish counterparts, ahead of the teams' first meeting in a decade.
Dinamo lost 0-3 at home to Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 5, ending their three-game unbeaten run (W2 D1); Celtic were held 1-1 at home by Club Brugge in their last fixture.
Previous meetings
Matches 6
Dinamo wins 3
Celtic wins 3
Draws 0
Dinamo goals 9
Celtic goals 9
1963/64 European Cup Winners' Cup first round
Celtic 3-0 Dinamo
Dinamo 2-1 Celtic
Celtic's first UEFA campaign featured a win against Dinamo in their second tie, an early Stevie Chalmers double added to by John Hughes in the second half at Celtic Park. Bobby Murdoch struck in the Zagreb return although it was the home side who won on the night thanks to second-half strikes from Stjepan Lamza and Slaven Zambata.
1998/99 Champions League second qualifying round
Celtic 1-0 Dinamo
Dinamo 3-0 Celtic
Darren Jackson got the only goal of the first leg in Glasgow but Dinamo turned the tables in Croatia, Silvio Marić levelling the aggregate scores before two Robert Prosinečki goals.
2014/15 UEFA Europa League group stage
Celtic 1-0 Dinamo
Dinamo 4-3 Celtic
A early Kris Commons goal was enough for Celtic in Glasgow, and the midfielder also scored in Zagreb, where a Marko Pjaca hat-trick helped eliminated Dinamo to a consolation victory, Marcelo Brozović also on target for the home side.
Form guide
GNK Dinamo
Record vs Scottish clubs: W4 D0 L4 F13 A11
Home record vs Scottish clubs: W4 D0 L0
Dinamo's only other games with a Scottish club came in the 2009/10 Europa League qualifying play-offs, when they beat Hearts 4-2 on aggregate (4-0 h, 0-2 a).
The Croatian club have scored 13 goals in winning all four home games against Scottish visitors.
Dinamo have reached the Champions League proper for a ninth time and a first since 2022/23, when they finished fourth on four points in a section that also included Chelsea, AC Milan and Salzburg.
The Zagreb club kicked off this season in the play-offs, easing past Qarabağ (3-0 h, 2-0 a).
Dinamo lost 3-4 on aggregate to AEK Athens in last season's Champions League third qualifying round and were then beaten 4-5 over two legs by Sparta Praha in the Europa League qualifying play-off. That took them into the UEFA Europa Conference League, where they eventually reached the last 16 before losing to PAOK (2-0 h, 1-5 a).
The Croatian club have won five of their last nine home European matches (D2 L2), drawing 2-2 against Monaco before losing to Dortmund in this season's league phase.
Dinamo claimed a record 25th Croatian league title in 2023/24, their seventh successive triumph, to make it 35 league titles overall. They also lifted the Croatian Cup to win a 13th domestic double, and a first in three seasons.
Celtic
Record vs Croatian clubs: W3 D0 L3 F9 A9
Away record vs Croatian clubs: W0 D0 L3
Celtic's six games against Dinamo are their only fixtures against a Croatian club.
The Hoops are in the Champions League proper for the 13th time and the third season running.
Celtic were bottom of their section for the second season in a row in 2023/24, although they ended with a 2-1 home win against Feyenoord – their first Champions League victory at Celtic Park since 2013.
Home and away, Celtic have won only five of their last 37 games in the Champions League proper (D8 L24) – but three of the last six.
Celtic have finished bottom of their section in four of their last five Champions League campaigns.
The Glasgow side have won only one of their last 13 European away games, losing ten. This season they have gone down 7-1 at Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 2 before a 0-0 draw at UEFA Europa League holders Atalanta.
The first British club to win the European Cup in 1967, and runners-up to Feyenoord three years later, Celtic have reached the Champions League knockout stages three times. All those campaigns ended in the round of 16, most recently in 2012/13 against Juventus (0-3 h, 0-2 a).
Celtic claimed their 54th Scottish League title, and a 12th in 13 seasons, in 2023/24. Brendan Rodgers' side also won the Scottish Cup for a record 42nd time.
Links and trivia
Dinamo's Samy Mmaee was in the Ferencváros side that lost 2-0 away and 2-3 at home to Celtic in the 2021/22 Europa League group stage, collecting a yellow card in both games.
Latest news
GNK Dinamo
Dinamo are without a win in five games in all competitions (D3 L2), drawing 1-1 at home to Slaven on Friday.
Lukas Kačavenda's opener against Slaven was Dinamo's first goal in four matches.
A 1-0 loss at Hajduk Split on 1 December was Dinamo's fourth in the league this season – equalling their total from the whole of 2023/24.
Raúl Torrente and Arijan Ademi both went off injured in the first 20 minutes on Friday.
Bruno Petković has not played since 9 November due to an adductor injury.
Petar Sučić has been out since 15 November with a metatarsal injury while a sprained ankle has sidelined Takuya Ogiwara since 23 November.
Celtic
Saturday's 3-0 home win against Hibernian took Celtic nine points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Celtic had opened up a seven-point lead with a 1-0 win at second-placed Aberdeen on 4 December.
The Hoops have won 19 of their 23 games this season (D3 L1); three of the four fixtures they have failed to win have come in the Champions League.
The Glasgow club have conceded only three goals in their last 11 games in all competitions and have kept 16 clean sheets in 26 matches stretching back to last season.
Daizen Maeda scored a hat-trick in a 6-0 defeat of Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup semi-final on 2 November; Celtic will play Rangers in the final on 15 December.
The Matchday 2 defeat at Dortmund is Celtic's only reverse in 31 games in all competitions (W25 D5), since a 2-0 defeat at Hearts on 3 March.
On 22 November Alistair Johnston signed a new contract until 2029, James Forrest agreeing a deal until 2026 the following day.