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

Hajduk and Rijeka will play the 100th Adriatic derby on Sunday, and after a long time, at this stage of the season, it will be a meeting between the first and second teams in the championship standings. After successfully completing the last game of the fourth round away to Gorica on Wednesday, Rijeka secured second place and now they will travel to Split for a direct clash with Hajduk for the first place. A true spectacle awaits us in Split in a match between the best teams in the league this season.

Form: WDWWD

The first competitive match for Hajduk, and immediately the Adriatic derby against the very powerful Rijeka, who have already defeated them this season. Even the most ardent fans of Hajduk do not remember the last time Hajduk looked this powerful and determined to win the Croatian championship and end the dominance of Dinamo Zagreb. It was against Dinamo that Hajduk played their last competitive match in the HNL when they drew goalless in Zagreb before the winter break. To strengthen the attack, Hajduk succeeded in their intention to return the famous Croatian national team player, Ivan Perisic, from Tottenham to the club. Perisic is still injured, and will not play in this match, but he will certainly give his teammates an additional wind behind them to go for the win and increase the difference compared to Rijeka in second place. Hajduk have a record of 13 wins, 2 draws, and 4 losses in 19 SuperSport HNL matches played, and with 41 points they are 3 points away from Rijeka and 5 points away from Dinamo who are in third place.

Form: WDDLW

As we have already mentioned, Rijeka will enter this Adriatic derby from second place, and with the dangerous intention of equaling points with Hajduk at the top of the table. However, the fact that they travel to Poljud without two experienced stoppers (Mitrovic and Dilaver) does not help them. Zeljko Sopic does not hide his feelings and ambitions and believes that Rijeka have a place at the very top, which he hopes to reach. However, they have a far from easy challenge in Split, and in addition, the match is being played at a sold-out stadium Poljud. Rijeka have already won against Hajduk once, in Rujevica, and they showed to the team of Split and the public that they can compete against the best.

In the last 5 meetings between these two teams, Rijeka have a slightly better ratio with 3 wins and 2 losses. The last meeting between them was played in October 2023 in Rujevica, and Rijeka won with a minimal score of 1-0. The last 3 meetings between Hajduk and Rijeka ended with only one team scoring a goal. Of course, it was always the host, and the matches did not end with more than 2 goals, but I expect this match to be different, both teams to score a goal and Hajduk to win in front of their fans.