Hajduk Split vs Dinamo Zagreb Prediction: The biggest derby in Croatia

On Sunday, the biggest derby in Croatian football is on the program when the current champion Dinamo Zagreb visits Poljud. The Blues convincingly won the previous game, but Hajduk have nothing to lose and will play with all their strength against their biggest rivals. A point is enough for the Zagreb’s team to secure the championship title at Poljud, and it will be very humiliating for Hajduk if their biggest rival celebrates winning the championship on this stadium.

Form: DWLDW

For more than a decade, Hajduk have been trying to return to the very top of Croatian football, but without success. This season is like that, where they are currently 12 points behind the leader Dinamo with 5 games to go. This was not a bad season for the club from Split, they beat everyone in the league, but they also lost to teams from which in theory they are much stronger, which is exactly the problem when you want to go on a campaign for the championship title. In the last 10 games at Poljud, Hajduk have a record of 6 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses, and we are convinced Hajduk will do their best to prevent Dinamo from celebrating this year's title at their Poljud. In order to prevent this, Hajduk must beat Dinamo because even 1 point will mathematically secure the championship title for Dinamo.

Form: WDWWD

On the other hand, Dinamo are chasing their sixth consecutive Croatian championship title, i.e. the 17th title in the last 18 years. The only season when Dinamo failed to become national champion was in the 2016/2017 season when Rijeka, led by the current manager of the Slovenian national team - Matjaz Keko - managed to end Dinamo's streak of 11 consecutive championship titles. It is increasingly certain that Dinamo will celebrate the championship title again this season, and whether they will celebrate that championship title for the second time in the club's history on the field of their most hated rival, we will have to see! Namely, Dinamo needs only one single point to mathematically secure the championship title, and they can reach it already this Sunday in Poljud, where they play against Hajduk, who slowly turned their Poljud into a real fortress.

It was expected that this game will have a big impact on which team will win the title this season in the HNL, but considering that Dinamo have a 12-point lead, that type of uncertainty will be absent. Certainly, the derby is the biggest challenge for both teams, so excitement will be present. Hajduk will try to show the home crowd that they can handle the defending champions, while the Blues will try to confirm their new title with a win on the hot field in Poljud. However, taking into account all the circumstances, it is more realistic that this match will end without a winner, but for braver bettors the odds on home win are very good and Hajduk will be very motivated to win this match.