Arsenal 3 – 0 Zagrebdin – itstargetnews.com

Kai Havertz scored twice and then scored himself as Arsenal all but sealed a place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 3-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb.

The Gunners now lead ninth-placed Aston Villa by three points and a healthy goal difference cushion at the top of the Champions League table with a game remaining, meaning they will skip the play-offs in February and will Competition resumes after one round in March.

Rice’s second-minute thump – his first Champions League goal – gave Arsenal the perfect start from Havertz’s stoppage on their way to the three points Starting off as the Gunners didn’t concede a single goal in this match.

Arsenal should have given Dinamo more goals in the first half as Gabriel missed his best chance from close range. “It’s definitely a babysitter,” Tim Sherwood said on the Football Special.

But just as Chiefs were getting nervous with a one-goal cushion, Havertz doubled their advantage with a header from a wicked pass from Gabriel Martinelli.

Not only was it the German’s goal in back-to-back home games, it was also Arsenal’s 500th goal under Mikel Arteta.

As the game entered stoppage time, substitute Leandro Trossard crossed in for Martin Odegaard to score from close range – the Arsenal captain’s first appearance for club or country since April last year. The team’s first open game goal.

The victory means Arsenal can play their final Champions League game away to lowly Girona next week.

Why does Arsenal’s exact location matter?

Within the top eight, the higher a team ranks in each group, the better (theoretically) their route into the later stages of the competition.

If a team completes first or secondthey will Skip knockout rounds and play against one of the winners of the match between the two teams 17th/18th and 15th/16th seeds in Top 16.

However, if a team completes seventh or eighththey will Skip knockout rounds and play against one of the winners of the match between the two teams 9th/10th and 23rd/24th seeds in Top 16.

Who will Arsenal face now?

arsenal Currently third, meaning they will face the play-off winners if they retain this position when the league stage ends next Wednesday night 13th, 14th, 19th, 20th.

The team currently filling these positions are Brest (13th), Borussia Dortmund (14th), PSV Eindhoven (19th) and Club Brugge (20th).

To determine who will face whom in the knockout rounds, there will be two Lots will be drawn after the league stage.

The first draw is at Friday, January 31, 11 a.m. It will be decided which of the two options each team will receive in the knockout rounds. For example, the 13th-ranked team will know if they are playing a game against the 19th- or 20th-ranked team.

Seeded teams (9th-16th) will play second-leg games at home, with play-offs taking place on February 11, 2012 and February 18, 2019.

Teams seeded 1 through 8 must wait until Friday, February 21st Find out their opponents.

The draw will determine who they face in the last 16 and ultimately chart their full path to the final.

When will the 2024/25 Champions League knockout rounds be held?

Top 16: March 4-5 and March 11-12, 2025
Quarter-finals: April 8/9 and April 15/16, 2025
Semi-finals: April 29/30 and May 6/7, 2025
Finals: May 31, 2025

Analysis: Are midfield goals crucial for Arsenal?

The January transfer window has entered its final two weeks and the forward has still not featured in an Arsenal game. Benjamin Cesco is set to stay at RB Leipzig, with Wolves convinced Matheus Cunha is not going anywhere, according to his current manager.

Unless things take a dramatic turn, Arsenal face the real prospect of being unable to strengthen their forward line during the run-in of the season. So how did they react? A midfield goal might be the answer.

Declan Rice’s first Champions League goal recalled memories of the latter stages of last season, when his impressive run into the box and finish helped Arsenal finish within two goals of the title. “His intention, his purpose, especially the attack in the position he takes, how he carries the ball, that’s another highlight of his game,” Mikel Arteta said.

Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard had a wonderful moment as he ended a nearly 300-day wait for a competitive goal for club and country. “We can see what it means for him,” Arteta added. “Hopefully this will happen more often.”

Arsenal may need it. Odegaard, Gabriel Martenelli and Bukayo Saka all scored at least 14 Premier League goals two seasons ago to boost their title chances. If the Gunners want to be part of another team, they’ll probably need to at least do that.

Arteta: Arsenal have taken a big step

arsenal manager Mikel Arteta:

“Overall, very happy. It’s a big step forward with what we did tonight. It puts us in a very good position before our last game in Girona.

“Scored three goals, created a lot of chances, dominated the game. And didn’t concede a goal, another clean sheet at home. Overall, we’re really happy.”

“It’s been really good, we’ve made some fresh changes and given some minutes to some players who are totally deserving. We had a few setbacks yesterday in terms of the players that were available tonight. Three of them were on the bench. “On the bench but not ready to use it. Glad we won, now let’s go to Wolves.”

Cannavaro: We can’t compare with Arsenal

dinamo zagreb manager Fabio Cannavaro:

“A 3-0 result is never good. But I asked them to work together and stay involved in the game for 90 minutes. Conceding a goal after two or three minutes made the game very difficult. It was not easy and the second half had us Tried changing a few things and it turned out much better.”

When talking about Dynamo and Manchester City having the same points, Cannavaro said: “Do you want me to take pressure? We need to try our best (to advance). We play AC Milan at home and we need to work hard to win because We want to win for our supporters.

“They deserve to be celebrated sometimes. They work very hard and I hope they can achieve some good results.

“It’s not easy to always face a team like Arsenal. More importantly, because the league is different. We are talking about Premier League clubs and Premier League teams.

“We try to adapt our strategy but sometimes it’s not enough. It’s about technique and physicality. We can’t compare.”