Dinamo Zagreb vs Villarreal Europa League preview: where to watch, team news, predictions

Dinamo Zagreb face Villarreal in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg on 8 April at 21:00 CET.

Where to watch the game on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Europa League broadcast partner(s) here.

Form guide

Dinamo Zagreb
Form: DWWWLW
Latest: Šibenik 1-1 Dinamo, 03/04
Where they stand: 1st in 1. HNL

Villarreal
Form: WWWWWL
Latest: Granada 0-3 Villarreal, 03/04
Where they stand: 7th in Liga

Possible line-ups

Dinamo: Livaković; Ristovski, Lauritsen, Théophile-Catherine, Gvardiol; Majer, Ademi, Jakić; Ivanušec, Oršić; Petković

Villarreal: Asenjo; Foyth, Albiol, Pau, Pedraza; Chuckweze, Capoue, Parejo, Trgueros; Alcácer, Gerard

Expert predictions

Elvir Islamović, Dinamo reporter: Why change a winning recipe? Dinamo coach Damir Krznar will ask his team for more of the same after their dramatic triumph over Tottenham, when they showed that with the right quantities of motivation, focus and bravery the Croatian champions can cook up something special. Hotly-rated Joško Gvardiol returns at left-back; forwards Bruno Petković and Mario Gavranović have been struggling but the former should be ready.

Graham Hunter, Villarreal reporter: With seven goals in his last four matches for club and country, and in the midst of his most prolific season ever, Gerard Moreno could have the focus of Villarreal efforts for this game. Not so. Eleven different Yellow Submariners have registered Europa League goals this season, with Paco Alcácer outscoring Moreno in continental games, and Unai Emery can once again call on two-time Europa League winner Alberto Moreno after a long injury. The power of the Submarine, against Dinamo, lies in the strength of its entire crew.

View from the camps

Damir Krznar, Dinamo coach: "The biggest compliment was given to us by [Spurs coach] José Mourinho, who played his best team in both games against us. So now Unai Emery says no one looks at us as underdogs anymore, and everyone takes us very seriously. This makes preparing for the match a little difficult for us. Villarreal are still favourites, but we want to work another miracle from the shadows."

Unai Emery, Villarreal coach: "We’re really up for the fight, but we’re only thinking about these quarter-finals because it’s do-or-die. The side are responding well, but each game brings its own challenges as we approach the business end of the season. Each round it gets harder and we're taking on a Dinamo side who have very good footballers, who are used to winning games and playing in Europe. But this is what we like; it makes us feel alive. It's going to be a great game."