Gorica vs Rijeka Prediction: Is there an end to the crisis in Gorica?

With three victories in the second part of the season, Rijeka took the leading place in the HNL. They started their winning streak in Gorica, then continued it in Poljud against Hajduk and Rujevica against Istra 1961, while this Sunday they return to Turopolje, where a “rematch” against Gorica awaits them. The match that took place on January 24 was a delayed match of the 4th round of the HNL, while this Sunday, starting at 7:10 p.m., they will play the last match of the 22nd round of the domestic championship.

Form: LLLDL

Gorica, at their City Stadium, will first of all have to use organized defensive football to look for their chance for a positive result, against Rijeka, which are playing better and better from match to match. Managed by Dinko Jelicic, they had very good results during the fall, but currently are in a bit of a crisis. So far, Gorica only knows about defeats in 2024, and with them, the chances for placement in Europe are decreasing. The problem is primarily the playing staff, which is not at the level of the strongest clubs in the championship. Indeed, Tim Matavz and Sven Blummel occasionally score goals, but this is far from the efficiency required at the highest level of Croatian club football. They are in 6th place with 27 points, and they are winless in the last 6 matches in the league.

Form: WWWDD

Coach Zeljko Sopic can be very satisfied with the way Rijeka have been playing lately, but the championship title is a long way off. The team from Rujevica will have to keep winning from round to round, including this away game where they lost 0:2 just two weeks ago and turned it around to 3:2. In Rijeka, a significant reinforcement could be Mirko Maric, who came to the position of striker this winter. The former Osijek player immediately scored against Istra and showed that Sopic was right to insist on signing him. Marko Pjaca, another returnee from Italy, is excellent offensively, while the players who arrived from the Bundesliga mean a lot to the teams. First of all, we should single out Marc Pasalic, the author of several impressive goals, and Franjo Ivanovic is also dangerous in front of the opponent's goal. Rijeka are full of confidence, it can be seen by the way they play, they are in 1st place at the moment but only 2 points away than 2nd placed Hajduk.

According to expectations, the world's bookies see Rijeka in this match as a strong favorite to win, partly because of their reputation, and partly because of their current form. I, on the other hand, believe that this time Gorica will try to surprise their opponent with a solid game, especially in the defense. The people of Rijeka are waiting for a trench battle in Turopolje, in which one or two moves will decide the question of the winner. I believe that Rijeka have enough to overcome Gorica, and I think that with all that attacking potential Rijeka will score at least two goals in this match.