Hajduk Split vs Rijeka Prediction: What a derby in Split!

As part of the 17th round of the Croatian SuperSport HNL, Hajduk will welcome Rijeka on Sunday from 19:45 at the legendary Poljud. This is a duel between two teams tied in the first place in the ranking, and both teams have 32 points each. This Adriatic derby hasn’t been so interesting and in focus in many years, and the poor Dinamo’s form only warms up the predictions that the title race is between Hajduk and Rijeka this season.

Hajduk Split

Form: LWDDL

Hajduk Split wants to avoid a repeat of their last result when they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Gorica. In that match, Hajduk had 66% possession and 26 shots on goal, but only 4 inside the frame, and were unable to equalize. Hajduk's defense has not been brilliant lately, as they have failed to keep a clean sheet in 5 of their last 6 matches, conceding a total of 6 goals. However, the positive streak that they will try to extend is that of 9 consecutive home matches without defeat in the league. Also, coach Gennaro Gattuso has almost the entire squad at their disposal, except for Mihael Zaper, who is out due to knee surgery.

Rijeka

Form: WWDDW

Rijeka comes to Poljud after a narrow 1:0 win against Sibenik. In that match, they had 49% possession and 8 attempts, 4 of which were inside the box, while the scorer of the decisive goal was Mladen Devetak in the 19th minute. Rijeka can boast of a solid defense that has conceded only 2 goals in the last 6 matches, while the attackers have scored 5. The team also comes in great form on away pitches, as they are undefeated in the last 8 away league matches. For the upcoming match, coach Radomir Djalovic will not have Komnen Andric and Josip Posavec available due to injuries.

Expert Betting Tips

This is a very difficult match to predict, as both teams are playing very well this season, and are completely even in the standings. However, as I expect a somewhat more closed match, with few chances on either side of the pitch, I assume that a maximum of two goals will be scored, and I don’t believe that both teams will score goal in this match.