HNK Hajduk Split vs Dinamo Zagreb Prediction: A Rivalry Forged For Eternity Between Two Powerhouses

On the 14th matchday of the Croatian championship, HNK Hajduk Split will host Dinamo Zagreb at the Stadion Poljud in the hopes of continuing their impressive run.

While Dinamo Zagreb has the same objective in mind as they are on a eight-game winning streak, will home advantage be sufficient for HNK Hajduk Split to end their winning streak and eke out a victory in the Vječni derbi (Eternal derby)?

Form: WWWDW

A surge of luck has been flowing among the Majstori s mora recently as they have been feeding off of narrow wins, with most of their winning goals coming in the nick of time, and given the tough opponent they come across in this match, they'll need more than luck to eke out a victory.

They recently secured a slender 1-0 victory on the road against HNK Gorica, and prior to that, they had secured a victory at home against NK Varazdin to earn a 2-1 victory, and have now gone three matches with consecutive wins.

While it has been difficult for them to maintain their second-place ranking position—which they hold with 26 points—against tenacious Osijek, whom they only edge out by two points as they occupy 3rd place, they haven't quite been able to leave much of a big point margin behind as they keep being toppled over.

Form: WWWWW

With the first half of their recent home game against NK Varazdin being a struggle as they were kept at bay, it wasn't until the second half that Bruno Petković fresh off the bench found an equalizer in the 70th minute, opening the door for two more goals while bagging himself with a brace with the second goal coming in the dying moments of the game through a penalty to eke out a 3-1 victory.

The Blues have gone unbeaten in their last five away matches in the Croatian championship, collecting 13 points in the process, putting them on an impressive run that they will undoubtedly want to keep polished in order to avoid being tainted.

With a win in the first game of the season, they got off to a good start and confirmed their dominant style, which has them occupying first place with 34 points, leaving a significant 8-point gap behind them for HNK Hajduk Split, who are currently in second place.

• Dinamo Zagreb has won eight consecutive matches in the Croatian championship.
• HNK Hajduk Split have gone unbeaten in three of their home games against Dinamo Zagreb.
• The average number of goals scored in a match between HNK Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb is 2.
• HNK Hajduk Split averages 2.6 goals per game at home, while Dinamo Zagreb averages 2.2 goals per game away.

In the last 86 meetings, HNK Hajduk Split has won 19 times, Dinamo Zagreb has won 44 times, and there have been 23 draws, with Dinamo Zagreb winning by a goal difference of 128-72.

Goals have always been a given in the Eternal derby between these two powerhouses in the Croatian championship, and with Dinamo Zagreb facing defense weaknesses, their attacking prowess may be the second factor in them maintaining their impressive form, which has seen them go unbeaten in their last 12 games.

It's safe to say that, despite the point difference in the rankings, HNK Hajduk Split is still in contention for the Croatian championship title and will fancy their chances of picking up a significant victory at home. While they haven't always been competitive against the defending champions, they undoubtedly have defensive acumen.

Although they may be ranked differently from one another, both teams have earned the right to be considered beasts of a different calibre. They both currently exhibit individual ability to be a threat with disparity between them ruled out, so we don't expect anything other than for both teams to score with a combined total of over 2.5 goals.

• Both Teams To Score + Goals - Over 2.5 for 2.34
• Corners - Over 8.5 for 1.85
• Draw No Bet - Dinamo Zagreb for 1.61