Sunderland host Dinamo Zagreb at the Stadium of Light on Thursday night in the UEFA Europa League, in a first-ever meeting between the clubs. Sunderland arrive with seven points from three league-phase games, while Dinamo have four points after a win, a draw and a 4-2 defeat to NEC Nijmegen.
This Sunderland vs Dinamo Zagreb prediction matters for bettors because Sunderland’s European form is far stronger than their domestic form: they are bottom of the Premier League, but unbeaten in Europe with wins over AZ Alkmaar and Torreense.
Sunderland vs Dinamo Zagreb prediction Match Preview
Sunderland’s recent run has been mixed: a 3-1 defeat at Coventry City and a goalless draw with Leeds followed the 1-1 Europa League draw at Lech Poznan, with a 3-2 EFL Cup win over Brentford and a 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth before that. Dinamo, meanwhile, lost 1-0 at Rudes in their last game after a 2-1 win over Rijeka, a 4-2 Europa League defeat to NEC Nijmegen, a 5-1 win at Slaven Belupo and a 1-0 Europa League win over Anderlecht.
Team Recent Form
Sunderland (most recent first): L-W-D-D-L — Coventry City 3-1 Sunderland (Premier League); Sunderland 3-2 Brentford (EFL Cup); Sunderland 0-0 Leeds United (Premier League); Lech Poznan 1-1 Sunderland (Europa League); Bournemouth 2-0 Sunderland (Premier League).
Dinamo Zagreb (most recent first): L-W-L-W-W — Rudes 1-0 Dinamo Zagreb (HNL); Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 Rijeka (HNL); Dinamo Zagreb 2-4 NEC Nijmegen (Europa League); Slaven Belupo 1-5 Dinamo Zagreb (HNL); Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 Anderlecht (Europa League).
Key Stats
- Sunderland are unbeaten in the Europa League this season with seven points from three games (two wins, one draw).
- Dinamo Zagreb have four points from three Europa League games, but their last European game produced six goals in the 4-2 defeat to NEC Nijmegen.
- Dinamo are second in the HNL, four points behind Hajduk Split with a game in hand, while Sunderland are bottom of the Premier League.
2-1 is our correct-score prediction: Sunderland’s unbeaten European home form should carry them through, but Dinamo’s scoring form — 11 goals in their last five games — means the visitors should find the net at least once.
Sunderland vs Dinamo Zagreb H2H
This is the first-ever meeting between Sunderland and Dinamo Zagreb in any competition, so there is no head-to-head history to draw on.
Pre Game Odds
- Sunderland win: 1.48
- Draw: 4.75
- Dinamo Zagreb win: 6.00
Odds via MightyTips (Zotabet/20Bet, updated 3 Nov 2026), pre-match and subject to change.
Team News Sunderland
Sunderland are without Daniel Ballard (hamstring), Romaine Mundle (knee) and Habib Diarra (muscle). Nordi Mukiele (concussion protocols) and Juan Angulo (knock) are doubts. Chemsdine Talbi, Jocelin Ta Bi, Melker Ellborg, Alan Browne and Aji Alese are ineligible for the Europa League.
Predicted Sunderland XI (predicted only, not confirmed): Roefs; Hume, Danso, O’Nien, Methalie; Xhaka, Sadiki; Meunier, Le Fee, Fofana; Isidor.
Team News Dinamo Zagreb
Dinamo Zagreb are without Scott McKenna (back strain), who is expected to miss out, and are otherwise reported to be near full strength. Caretaker boss Jerko Leko is in charge for this game after Mario Kovacevic’s contract was mutually terminated following the Rudes defeat.
Predicted Dinamo Zagreb XI (predicted only, not confirmed): Kotarski; Galesic, Dominguez, Radeljic, Vinlof; Misic, Ivanusec, Stojkovic; Almena, Beljo, Hoxha.
Sunderland vs Dinamo Zagreb prediction Betting Tips
Tip 1 – Result: Sunderland win. Tip 2 – Over-Under 2.5: Over 2.5 goals. Tip 3 – BTTS Yes-No: Both teams to score – Yes.
Sunderland’s unbeaten European run should see them through at the Stadium of Light, but Dinamo’s scoring form means a clean sheet looks unlikely.
More coverage of this Sunderland vs Dinamo Zagreb prediction can be found in the Matches archive.
