Dinamo Zagreb will have an important match on Thursday night in the Europa League. From 18:45 they play away to Lille, in the fifth round match of the second most important UEFA competition.
Dinamo Zagreb would take a big step towards the knockout stages with a win. They currently have seven points in 12th place, one more than Lille who are in 19th place.
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Letter to the Reader — Why We're Asking for Your Support ContributeThe biggest Croatian team has found form, winning their last two games. But they couldn't have achieved this without Arbër Hoxha.
Dinamo defeated Karlovci in the Croatian Cup and took full points against Varaždin. The Albanian striker, who plays on the left wing, scored two goals against Varaždin at the "Maksimir".
Croatian media outlet "Index" wrote a lengthy article about the 27-year-old on Wednesday. It wrote that Dinamo coach Sergej Jakirović had been persistently seeking the "rocket" in January 2024.
Hoxha didn't have a great start to his career, but he has made some big plays. Hoxha was close to leaving in the summer, but it was president Zvonimir Boban who convinced him to stay.
"I talked to Zvonimir Boban who was interested in my stay at the club. He didn't want me to leave Dinamo. He constantly told me that I had qualities and that they would show, he believed in me. He let me know that I could play the best season of my career," Hoxha had declared to "24sata.hr".
Three and a half months after the start of the new season, Hoxha's decision to stay at "Maksimir" turned out to be very important for Dinamo.
He has grown tremendously as a footballer. This growth began in the derby in “Polud” against Hajduk. Hoxha received the ball 60 meters from Hajduk's goal. In a sprint, he passed two opposing footballers and went to the area. Then, he perfectly scored for 1:0.
"Index" wrote that Hoxha did everything well, constantly creating danger for opponents.
"Despite the fact that he can sometimes irritate the fans, he is often the only player on the field who can bring the attack to a very high level and discover something from nothing. He did this against Rijeka in 'Maksimir'. Hoxha is the master of chaos that Dinamo needs," the Croatian media concluded.
Hoxha has played a total of 80 games for Dinamo, scoring ten goals and providing nine assists. He is also important for Albania, with whom he has scored one goal in 21 appearances.
Hoxha developed as a footballer in Istog, while he also played for Prishtina, Besa e Pejës, Balkan, Lokomotiva and Slaven Belupo.