Dinamo Zagreb will play against Benfica in the Europa League round of 16!
After passing through the group stage of the competition with flying colors, Dinamo prevailed against Viktória Plzen in the round of 32 to advance into the last 16 of the competition. In Friday’s draw for the Europa League round of 16, which was held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Dinamo paired with Portuguese club Benfica, reports Gol.hr on February 22, 2019.
Dinamo will play the first match on March 7 at Maksimir stadium in Zagreb and visit Lisbon on March 14 for the return game.
In the Europa League round of 32, Benfica was better than Galatasaray. In the first match in Istanbul, Benfica pulled out a 2:1 victory, while at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, the teams drew 0:0. Benfica finished third in their Champions League group with Bayern, Ajax and AEK Athens.
Benfica is currently second-place in the Portuguese Championship, though they are just one point behind Porto.
This season, Dinamo played 14 European matches and registered eight victories, four draws, and two defeats with a difference of 27-10.
Before the draw for the final 16, there were no seeded teams. Clubs from the same countries, as well as clubs that played in the same group, could be paired in this round of the competition. The only exception was that Dynamo Kyiv could not be drawn against the Russian clubs Zenit and FC Krasnodar.
The Europa League quarterfinals will be played on April 11 and 18, the semifinals on May 2 and May 9, and the final on May 29 at the Olympic Stadium in Baku.
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