Ahead of Bayern Munich’s clash with the Croatian side, their skipper has aired his surprise at the Gunners having lost their group stage opener to them
Philipp Lahm has revealed how he originally thought he had misread that Arsenal lost their Champions League group stage opener to Dinamo Zagreb.
The Gunners were widely expected to bag three points visiting the Croatian champions a fortnight ago but – down to 10 men following an Olivier Giroud red card – they lost 2-1 at the Stadion Maksimir.
Dinamo’s next opponents in Europe are Bayern Munich, and the Bundesliga champions’ captain Lahm admitted his shock that the Balkan team were able to defeat Arsene Wenger’s men.
“Dinamo are very comfortable at home,” the utility defensive veteran told Jutarnji List. “They have a good group of fans, they’re difficult to defeat.
“The defeat of Arsenal in Zagreb really surprised me. At first I thought it was a mistake!
“Dinamo will play extremely defensively, the defensive wall will be stronger than when you play a typical game. Dinamo will try to play on the counterattack.”
Pep Guardiola’s men have won all seven games in the Bundesliga season by a cumulative scoreline of 21-3 and are four points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund.
Similarly, Dinamo Zagreb are undefeated at the top of the Croatian top flight after 11 games.