Dortmund eye victory in Zagreb after thrashing Freiburg

The Black-Yellows are in great form, having dominated Freiburg 4-0 in the Bundesliga on Saturday. The win lifted them to fifth in the league, just one point behind Bayer Leverkusen in fourth. Felix Nmecha continued his impressive run, adding to his international goal with another strike against Freiburg. Maximilian Beier also found the net, scoring his second goal of the season after a slow start to his Dortmund career.

In Europe, Dortmund have been in fine attacking form, winning three of their first four group-stage matches and scoring 13 goals, the second-most in the competition. They come into this fixture fresh from a 1-0 win over Austrian side Sturm Graz, with Donyell Malen scoring a late winner off the bench.

Dortmund were missing key players Gregor Kobel, Julian Ryerson, and Waldemar Anton in that match, but all three are expected to feature against Dinamo. Serhou Guirassy, who missed the weekend's game due to illness, could also return.

Dinamo Zagreb, currently third in the Croatian league, are unbeaten in their last six matches in all competitions. After a heavy loss to Bayern Munich in the opening round, they have turned things around, winning two of their last three Champions League games against Red Bull Salzburg and Slovan Bratislava, while drawing with Monaco.

Striker Sandro Kulenovic has been in excellent form, scoring three goals in those three games and netting eight in the league. He will be a key threat for Dortmund's defence. In the domestic league, Zagreb have won one and drawn two of their last three matches, keeping two clean sheets and scoring six goals.

Manager Nenad Bjelica, who has faced Dortmund before, will be looking for a positive result after a loss to them last season with Union Berlin and a series of draws during his playing days at Kaiserslautern.

Dortmund are aiming to reach the knockout stages for the fifth time in six years. Key players like Guirassy, who has three goals and two assists in his first four Champions League games for the club, and Julian Brandt, who is set to make his 44th Champions League appearance, will be crucial for their hopes.

This will be the first-ever meeting between Dinamo Zagreb and Borussia Dortmund in European competition.