• Wednesday 21.00: Dynamo Zagreb – Bodø/Glimt

ZAGREB (Dagbladet): At the heart of the conflict are coach Dinamo Zagreb, Ante Cacic and star striker Bruno Petkovic.

The striker was substituted for the first game against Bodø/Glimt, but came on in the first half and caused major problems for the Glimt defence. He should also have equalized at the end, but missed alone with the goalkeeper.

In Wednesday’s second leg, there was a group game in the Champions League, which brought in around NOK 200 million in cash. The losers go to the Europa League. Glimt lead 1-0 after half-time at Aspmyra.

After the match, Dagbladet asked coach Cacic about Petkovic.

– I agree that he played a good match. The next game will be a new assessment of who will start, replied Cacic last Tuesday.

– Became a conflict

The Croatian media this summer wrote about the strong dissatisfaction of Dinamo Zagreb supporters with the striker.

– Not many people have the talent he has, but then there’s the head and attitude. He has body language that often shows that he doesn’t care. But wherever he has played he has shown incredible speed, if he does it from time to time, he will play for one of the best clubs in Europe, Dinamo Zagreb supporter Zoran Puvatcha told Dagbladet.

Map by event

In the match at Aspmyra, Petkovic was reserved for Dinamo Zagreb’s big summer signing, Swiss national team striker Josip Drmi.

Puvatcha said supporters reacted earlier this summer when Petkovic was used as a substitute for Drmic.

– Then there was the conflict and he was criticized, said Puvatcha.

Requested departure

Despite the fact that he was employed until the end of April, and has had good results, Puvatcha said that there were supporters demanding his resignation.

– The most extreme do it. The more moderate is patient and understands that you don’t fire a coach who hasn’t lost, he stressed.

But statistics show that Dinamo Zagreb have had as many as five different coaches since 2020, despite good results.

On Tuesday, Dagbladet asked coach Dinamo Cacic if he felt any pressure ahead of the decisive game.

– I don’t feel any pressure. I have been a coach for many years, including for the Croatian national team. “It’s normal, I don’t feel it,” replied Cacic at a press conference.

Surprised

Kevin Ingebrigtsen has followed Balkan football closely through his work as a football agent for several years. He pointed out that Cacic was also very unpopular as coach of the Croatian national team.

– The criticism is that it has a somewhat archaic style of play and management. Being Dinamo Zagreb requires more than just winning, they also have to do it the right way, said Ingebrigtsen, who now writes about football for Betsson.

– Intense

He believes that is something that Bodø/Glimt can use to their advantage on Wednesday.

– The fans are intense, but they can go both ways. Because his supporters are demanding. They can come with strong support, but also be impatient, and that could be bad for Dinamo Zagreb. This is what happens to many Balkan teams. They are emotional, for better or for worse, explains Ingebrigtsen.

Hated: – Some of the most extreme

Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen opened up about the fixtures on Tuesday.

“If we manage to handle the game tactically, and at the same time become Glimt, I think the crowd can whistle, that’s what we should expect,” Knutsen replied at a press conference in Zagreb on Tuesday.

Amahl Pellegrino was also ready for that last week.

– We have to attack and be Bodø/Glimt, nothing else for us, he said after the 1-0 win.