Dinamo Zagreb vs HNK Rijeka Prediction: The Rijeka's Whites To Put Up A Lively Fight

Fausto Budicin will be under tremendous pressure to help his team defeat reigning champions Dinamo Zagreb at the Stadion Maksimir to claim their second victory of the Croatian championship as his team currently sits in 10th place in the rankings.

Will things work out for HNK Rijeka this time, or will they suffer yet another humbling loss on the road?

Form: WWWDW

Despite being forced into a tight spot by Sibenik in their most recent game, they were able to overcome the pressure as Bruno Petković's 68th minute penalty kick allowed them to secure another victory, this time by a 2:1 margin.

As long as they maintain their unwavering domination, they are far from suffering from uneven form and have no current concerns about their performance in all competitions.

They have been in steady form, going on a three-match winning run and going seven games without a loss, and they currently hold the first place spot in the league rankings with 19 points.

Form: LDLLD

Starting off strong to score the game's first goal in the 47th minute, they lost their lead when Varazdin scored on a penalty in the 74th minute after making an unnecessary challenge that resulted in an immediate dismissal.

However, they were more concerned with holding off the opponent than they were with salvaging a point, which left them open to another second goal in the 87th minute to record a 2:1 loss at home to end the evening's proceedings.

They had previously played to a 1:1 draw on the road against Istra 1961, and as a result, they had easily surrendered leads in three of their previous five games.

This had a disastrous impact on their standing in the Croatian championship; they currently hold 10th position with five points.

With manager Fausto Budicin in charge since the departure of Goran Tomić, his team got off to a strong start in their opening match against Sibenik and came away with a slim 1:0 victory. However, later on, things became chaotic as they went five games without a victory, recording two draws and three losses to go along with their patchy form.

• In the Croatian championship league, Dinamo Zagreb has won four straight games at home.
• Dinamo Zagreb averages 2.53 goals per game at home, compared to 2.16 goals per game for HNK Rijeka when they play away.
• In each of their last seven Croatian championship games, Dinamo Zagreb has given up a goal.

In the last 79 meetings, HNK Rijeka has won 20 times, Dinamo Zagreb has won 40 times, and there have been 19 draws, with Dinamo Zagreb winning by a goal difference of 151-84.

We don't anticipate Dinamo Zagreb to encounter any obstacles when they take on the visitors because they haven't, by any means, lacked finesse in their finishing as proven in their games. Additionally, their run in the Croatian championship has been nothing short of outstanding.

Despite the fact that Rijeka's confidence may be in doubt going into this game due to their recent poor play, which saw them go on a two-match losing streak without making many adjustments, it's likely they'll find it difficult to edge a victory against the hosts.

Although they have scored in each of their previous six Croatian championship games, the visitors do have some ingenuity with the ball, making it interesting to watch how far they will go to score in this match.

We can anticipate goals on both ends of the field as Dinamo Zagreb's defense inadequacy in this match is taken into account.

• Both Teams To Score + Goals - Over 2.5 for 2.40
• Goals - Over 2.5 for 1.65
• Both Teams To Score (Yes) for 2.03