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Hapoel Beer-Sheva and Dinamo Zagreb get underway in the 2026-27 Europa League campaign when they square off at the Superbet Arena-Giulesti on Wednesday. After falling short in the final hurdle of the Champions League qualifying race, both sides will aim for a flying start to Europe’s second-tier club competition, and this makes for a thrilling contest in Bucharest.
Read our Hapoel Beer-Sheva vs Dinamo Zagreb preview, while you can also find more of our expert predictions on today's betting tips page.
Hapoel Beer-Sheva vs Dinamo Zagreb key stats
- This will be the first meeting between Hapoel Beer-Sheva and Dinamo Zagreb since their Champions League qualifying clash back in July 2018, with the Croatian outfit claiming one win and one draw over the two legs.
- Dinamo Zagreb are unbeaten in 14 of their last 16 competitive away games, picking up 10 wins and four draws since the start of February.
- Hapoel Beer-Sheva have lost four of their last five Europa group-stage games, with a 1-0 victory over French outfit Nice in December 2020 being the exception.
- Dinamo Zagreb have managed just one win in their most recent eight Europa League games, losing five and claiming two draws since October 2025.
Hapoel Beer-Sheva vs Dinamo Zagreb: Both sides aiming for flying start on the continental scenes
Hapoel Beer-Sheva vs Dinamo Zagreb — Tale of the Tape
| Hapoel Beer-Sheva | vs | Dinamo Zagreb |
|---|---|---|
| 4th (Israeli Premier League) | Position | 4th (HNL) |
| 7 | Points | 13 |
| 7 | Goals For | 14 |
| 7 | Goals Against | 7 |
| 1 | Clean Sheets | 3 |
| 12th | Home / Away Rank | 7th |
Hapoel Beer-Sheva secured consecutive away wins in the Israeli Premier League last Saturday when they edged out Hapoel Petach Tikva 2-0 at the Shlomo Insurance Stadium.
Coming off their first league defeat of the season on September 7, when they lost 4-1 to Maccabi Tel Aviv, Abu Rumi and Hamode Kanaan netted quick-fire goals in the second half to fire the visitors to all three points.
Head coach Ran Kozuk will be delighted with the positive showing at the Shlomo Insurance Stadium, with Hapoel Beer-Sheva securing a morale-boosting result ahead of their Europa League opener, following a disappointing end to their Champions League qualification pursuit.
The Israeli outfit edged out Vikingur and Red Star Belgrade to reach the Champions League qualifying playoffs, and having played one foot in the group stages with a 2-1 first-leg victory over Sabah on August 19, their dreams of a first-ever UCL appearance came to an end in the return leg six days later.
Needing at least a draw to seal their fate, Hapoel Beer-Sheva took the lead twice at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, but Christian Nwachukwu, Umarali Rakhmonaliev and Tellur Mutallimov hit back for Sabah to force extra time, where Patrick Orphe M’Bina and Joy Lance Mickels hit the target to hand the Azerbaijan outfit a historic victory.
Having missed out on qualification to the Europa League last season after losing to Levski Sofia on penalties in the playoffs, the Israeli outfit, who sit are back in the competition for the first time since 2020, when they finished third in Group C with six points from six matches.
On the other hand, Dinamo Zagreb failed to pick up a morale-boosting result ahead of the midweek Europa League curtain-raiser as they suffered a 4-2 defeat against Osijek in their Croatian HNL clash at Opus Arena last Saturday.
Strikes from Luka Vrbancic, Domagoj Bukvic and a first-half brace from Armando Leon saw Osijek cruise to their fifth league win of the campaign, with Miha Zajc and Smail Prevljak getting in the scoresheet for the visitors in the second half.
Dinamo Zagreb, who have picked up four wins and one draw from their six HNL games to sit fourth in the league standings, now turn their attention to the Europa League, where they are making a second consecutive appearance, having dropped from the Champions League qualifying race in the playoff round.
Like Hapoel, Mario Kovacevic’s men knocked out Thun and Kauno Zalgiris to reach the qualifying playoff, but a 2-2 stalemate against Viking in the first leg on August 18 was followed by a 3-1 loss against the Norwegian outfit at the Viking Stadion one week later, bringing an end to their hopes of securing UCL football for the first time since the 2024-25 campaign.
Dinamo Zagreb head into Europa League aiming for a deeper run this season, having finished 23rd in the league standings last season before bowing out in the knockout-stage playoffs courtesy of a 6-4 aggregate defeat against Belgian outfit Genk in February.
Hapoel Beer-Sheva vs Dinamo Zagreb form guide & betting tips
| Hapoel Beer-Sheva | vs | Dinamo Zagreb |
|---|---|---|
LWDLW |
Form | LDWWL |
| 10 | Goals For | 7 |
| 4 | Goals Against | 5 |
Whispers predicts: Hapoel Beer-Sheva 1-2 Dinamo Zagreb
Hapoel Beer-Sheva have blown hot and cold in recent weeks, and given the gulf in quality and depth between the two teams, we fancy Dinamo Zagreb to come away with the win, currently priced at 9/10 (1.90).
Eight of Dinamo Zagreb’s last nine games have seen at least three goals scored, and we predict over 2.5 at 33/50 (1.66), while Zagreb to win + BTTS – Yes at 5/2 (3.50) is our high-value bet.
2-4 goal range at 53/100 (1.53) is the safe pick for us at the Superbet Arena-Giulesti, while a correct score of 1-2 at 15/2 (8.50) is our outside bet.
> Over 2.5 goals – Yes at 33/50 (1.66) | Likelihood: Possible
> Zagreb to win + BTTS – Yes at 5/2 (3.50) | Likelihood: Possible
> Correct score: 1-2 at 15/2 (8.50) | Likelihood: Outsider