Gradjanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb vs. Real Betis Balompié Prediction on December 11, 2025

Match info

The 2025–26 UEFA Europa League, the ongoing campaign of Europe’s second-tier continental men’s football club competition, is in its second season with the new 36-team league phase format.

Going into this matchday 6 game, Spain’s Real Betis Balompié arrive as one of the competition’s form sides: they are unbeaten in the league phase (three wins, two draws) with 11 points and a +5 goal difference, sitting fifth in the overall table – very much in the race for a direct ticket to the round of 16. Croatia’s Gradjanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb, by contrast, are in the congested mid-pack: two wins, one draw, two defeats (seven points, -3 goal difference), which leaves them 23rd, right on the edge of the 9–24 window that leads to the knockout phase play-offs.

So the stakes are clear: a home win would drag Dinamo closer to the middle of that 9–24 band and give them a stronger buffer against being pushed down the table on the final two matchdays. A positive result for Betis, meanwhile, could cement their position among the top eight and reduce pressure going into their remaining league-phase fixtures.

In short, it’s a classic Europa League clash where both qualification paths – and seeding – are very much in play. For those tracking the competition from a wagering perspective, exploring the best EU betting sites can provide useful context for odds movements across the league phase.

The match is scheduled for Thursday, December 11, 2025, with kick-off listed at 18:45 Central European Time (CET, local time in Zagreb) at Stadion Maksimir, Dinamo’s historic home ground and a frequent venue for Croatia’s national team. On a cold December evening, the pitch and conditions are likely to suit Dinamo’s familiarity with the stadium and the climate, but Betis have recent experience of high-intensity European atmospheres away from home and won’t be intimidated by the setting.

Meeting statistics

Current form and & playstyle: Gradjanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb

Domestically, “The Blues” are once again near the top of the Croatian top division HNL, with a record of 10–2–4 and the best goal difference in the league (+17), underlining their status as the standard-bearers in Croatia. Mario Kovačević, appointed in the summer, has generally favored a possession-oriented game that tries to control central zones while keeping enough support around the forwards to threaten in the final third. But this Europa League campaign has forced some tactical pragmatism: after a strong start – seven points from their first three matches – Dinamo were heavily exposed in back-to-back defeats against Celta Vigo and Lille, where they struggled against fast transitions and higher-quality pressing.

In the build-up to this Betis tie, Kovačević has openly spoken about the need to be “solid” and to threaten Betis on the counter, hinting at a slightly more conservative approach: a compact mid-block, full-backs a little deeper, and quick breaks through their mobile forwards and advanced midfield runners. Dinamo’s strength remains their ability to raise intensity at home – they can turn 10–15 minute spells into waves of pressure–but in Europe that has sometimes come with defensive risk, especially if their double pivot gets pulled apart or the centre-backs are dragged wide.

Current form & playstyle: Real Betis Balompié

“The Green and Whites” arrive in Zagreb with a very different profile: in La Liga, they are in fifth place after 16 rounds, one of the league’s better attacking units, even if they leak chances at the other end. Their recent domestic run features a 3–0 home win over Mallorca, draws with Valencia and Girona, and a 2–0 local derby victory away at Sevilla – a sequence that showcased both their control in “routine” games and their ability to navigate tense atmospheres. The one major blemish is a chaotic 3–5 defeat by Barcelona, where their high defensive line and aggressive approach were ruthlessly punished, even though Betis still managed to score three.

Under Manuel Pellegrini, Betis continue to play front-foot football: typically a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 with a lot of width, technical midfielders comfortable on the ball, and wingers who are encouraged to attack full-backs one-v-one. Recent Europa League matches – including a 2–2 home draw with Nottingham Forest and a 2–1 win over Utrecht – have underlined their resilience; even when they start slowly, their attacking depth and bench options allow them to chase games late on. Defensively, they press in phases rather than all the time, but their back line can be exposed when the full-backs push high, and the holding midfielder is left covering large spaces.

Head-to-head

Despite Betis’ higher profile in the “big five” leagues, the recent head-to-head history slightly favors Dinamo. The sides met in the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League knockout rounds: Dinamo won 1–0 in Seville and then drew 1–1 in Zagreb, progressing 2–1 on aggregate.

Psychologically, Dinamo can draw confidence from having already knocked Betis out of Europe in recent memory, and several players and staff from both clubs experienced that tie. For Betis, this game carries a mild sense of unfinished business: they know they were second best over two legs last time and will be keen to show that the current, more mature version of the team can impose itself in Zagreb.

Match analytics

The most likely profiles feel like either a narrow Betis win or a score draw. Factoring in Dinamo’s strong home record, their good H2H history versus Betis, and Betis’ superior overall squad and current European form, a reasonable scoreline prediction is a draw in which both teams will score.

Tip: Correct Score, 1:1 at 6.35 odds on PlanetOfBets.