Dinamo Zagreb vs Hajduk Split Prediction: Can Hajduk surprise the champion?

Domestic football returns to the stage this Friday in style, with the HNL derby, which will be played in Zagreb by football teams Dinamo and Hajduk. The home team looked impressive under Sergej Jakirovic this summer until they drew against Rijeka at Rujevica two weeks ago. This means that Dinamo have a two-point advantage before the derby ahead of Hajduk and cannot afford to fail. This match will be played four days before the clash between the "Blues" and Bayern, but the focus of the Zagreb players will be completely on the game with the team from Split. However, the pressure is certainly bigger on Gattuso and his players, as the atmosphere in this team is not the best.

Form: LDWWW

Dinamo have scored goals continuously in their last six games, scoring a total of 13 goals while conceding only 3. That trend may not necessarily last in the upcoming match. Despite the draw in the last match, Dinamo are still in first place in the table, with only two points ahead of Hajduk and Rijeka. Dinamo enters this match after drawing 1:1 against Rijeka in the previous match. In that match, Dinamo had 8 shots on goal, only one of which was on target, and that shot ended up in the goal. Bruno Petkovic was the scorer for Dinamo in the middle of the first half, while Veldin Hodza equalized for Rijeka at the beginning of the second half, and after that goal, the score did not change. If Dinamo triumphs in this match as well, they will move significantly away from their next and biggest rival in the table, and since coach Sergej Jakirovic has significantly improved the game of the current champion, nothing is impossible. As for injured players, coach Jakirovic will not be able to count on the injured Sagedh Moharrami, Filip Brekal, Dino Peric, and Mauro Perkovic, and all other players should be at his disposal. As far as the starting line-up is concerned, no major changes are expected, and the same eleven players should take the field as in the previous match against Rijeka.

Form: WDWLD

In the last 6 games of Hajduk, the number of goals scored and conceded was relatively low. Also, Hajduk are undefeated in the last 5 away league games. Also, they are still undefeated in the league, registering three wins and two draws, with a goal difference of 7:4. Hajduk won 1:0 against Osijek in the last round of SuperSport HNL. In that match, Hajduk sent 11 shots at the goal, 4 of which were on target. Marko Livaja scored the only goal in the 56th minute. On the other hand, Osijek had 4 attempts on goal, 2 of which were on target, but they failed to score. If they manage to beat Dinamo in this next round, they have a chance to take first place in the table. Coach Gennaro Gattuso will have almost the strongest possible squad at his disposal, except for the long-term injured Mihael Zaper, and will probably go for the win in the next match. 

Since Dinamo have the advantage of the home field, they are in better shape and they are playing against the team that they beat in the last two matches, I think that they are closer to victory. Hajduk are struggling under the leadership of Gattuso, at the start of the season they had unexpected setbacks, so my betting suggestion is for Dinamo to win. On the other hand, I believe that a classic hard Croatian derby awaits us in Maksimir, in which the game will be played nervously, and the attackers will not have much space to spread their wings. Both Jakirovic and Gattuso tend to close the approaches to their goal, which is why my football betting recommendation is under 2.5 goals in the match.