Istra 1961 vs Osijek Prediction: A very interesting match between Istra and Osijek is waiting for us

It is rare in the SuperSport HNL that Dinamo and Hajduk play on the same day, so the derby day on Saturday turned out to be a very interesting match between Istra and Osijek. As part of the 22nd round, Osijek travels to the most pleasant surprise of the season, Istra 1961, starting at 5:00 pm, in an unpredictable match in which all three outcomes are possible and realistic.

Istra enter the match in good shape. In the last three games, they won two and lost 1:0 against Dinamo. But coach Gonzalo Garcia was left without the talented stopper Mauro Perkovic, who made transfer to Dinamo Zagreb for two million euros. He said that Marusic and Galilea will be stoppers against Osijek. Before the clash between Istra and Dinamo last Friday in Zagreb, there were rumors that the cunning expert Gonzalo Garcia would take over the current Croatian champion in the event of a surprise. His team was defeated by a minimum of 1:0 with a missed penalty and two canceled goals for Dinamo, so that didn't happen. The manager and the whole team are focused on this match and winning all 3 points. Istra is currently in 5th place with 27 points, 7 wins, 6 draws and 7 defeats. They’re in good position to qualify for European competition next season if they maintain the good form from the beginning of the second part of the season.

Rene Poms and the team got off to a solid start with four points won against Rijeka and Gorica, but in the last two rounds they experienced a minor drop. The club from the city on the Drava river currently holds the "European" third place, but they lost against Lokomotiva two weeks ago. This was followed by the always unpleasant match against Belupo, in which the host at his City Garden was left with only one point won after a meager 0:0.

For two consecutive rounds, Osijek have failed to score a goal, so in the announcements before this away game, they emphasized that this mini black streak must be ended. At the moment it is very difficult to celebrate in stadium Aldo Drosina, but certainly doable, and Osijek will be additionally motivated by the return of captain Mile Skoric, who played his first competitive minutes against Slaven after last summer and his injury.

In this very important clash, which will have major repercussions in the fight for a European competition spot, it is almost impossible to predict the winner. As it is an important match, a more careful approach and waiting for the opponent's mistake is expected.

At the moment, the visitors are in an offensive drought and have problems scoring goals, but the defense is something they can always rely on. On the other hand, an interesting fact that almost everyone missed is the fact that defensively, Istra is the best team in the HNL along with Dinamo. The odds for the unders, i.e. fewer goals, are expectedly on the decline, but the under 2.5 goals still has good value for a single bet.