Sevilla vs Dinamo Zagreb - Sampaoli expecting open game against Dinamo Zagreb

Posted Wednesday, November 02, 2016 by PA

Sevilla manager Jorge Sampaoli expects an intense Champions League encounter against Dinamo Zagreb, with both sides having plenty on the line.

Group H is rapidly coming to a head, with Sevilla knowing victory at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan will carry them into the last 16 provided Juventus also defeat Lyon.

Dinamo, meanwhile, know that defeat would rule them out of a top-two finish and realistically need three points themselves.

A Samir Nasri goal settled matters in the Spanish side's favour when the two teams met last month but Sampaoli senses the stakes have increased since then.

"This will be a completely different match to the one we saw over there," he said.

"In Zagreb I thought we were better than them, clearly, in a football sense and the 1-0 win was less than we deserved.

"But this time the match will be much more open because both of us must win."

Nasri, a key performer for the Rojiblancos since his arrival this summer, looks certain to miss the game after sustaining a hamstring injury.

Sampaoli hinted that the French playmaker was closer to fitness than had been expected, and fell short of emphatically ruling him out but any participation would still be a big surprise.

"With Nasri you never know," said Sampaoli, after confirming Nico Pareja would not be fit.

"The scans showed a picture of him perhaps needing a couple of weeks but he knows his physiology best and today (Tuesday) he jogged a little in training.

"We'll raise the intensity just a little and perhaps he's slightly closer to playing soon than any of us thought."

Dinamo boss Ivaylo Petev has been in post for only six matches and his only defeat to date came in the counterpart fixture on home soil.

Maximum points have been taken from three subsequent outings and, like Sampaoli, he is tipping a different kind of meeting second time around.

"We have to be brave," he said.

"We didn't look dangerous in the first half in Zagreb, but after the break we had some chances to score. We had a team full of youngsters, so I can't say anything against them but I am sure we will be more dangerous in Seville."