Rijeka vs Slaven Belupo Prediction: Are Rijeka motivated enough to win?

After six games without a win, Rijeka will try to end the season with three points on Sunday against Slaven Belupo. The match will be played at Rujevica from 4 p.m. So close yet so far. That is the shortest way to describe this season in Rijeka. Rijeka were close to winning the championship and winning the cup, but both times Dinamo got in the way. Rijeka will end the season without a trophy in front of their fans against Slaven Belupo and will try to give their fans something positive for the end of the season. 

Form: LLDLL

Rijeka have 71 points from 35 games – 22 wins, 5 draws, and 8 losses – and are second in the SuperSport HNL ranking. Rijeka have a good reputation, although their recent performances have been inconsistent. In the last six matches in all competitions, they have lost five times against Varazdin, Dinamo Zagreb twice, Lokomotiva Zagreb, and Osijek and drew against Dinamo in the Cup match. However, last week they lost at home in the second match of the Cup final against Dinamo and were left without a trophy this season as well. 

Form: LLWLL

Slaven Belupo have 33 points from 35 games, of which 9 wins, 6 draws, and 20 losses, which puts them in ninth place in the league. With one win (4-1) over Gorica and four defeats against Hajduk Split, Istra 1961, Lokomotiva Zagreb, and Dinamo Zagreb, their recent performance are similar to that of Rijeka. They lost 3-2 against Dinamo Zagreb in the last game, showing that despite their low ranking, they can still be a threat. 

In previous meetings, Rijeka enjoyed playing at home and a significant home advantage against Slaven Belupo. With a goal difference of 69-32 in their favor, Rijeka won 23 times, drew 12 times, and lost only 4 out of 39 games. With ten meetings between these two clubs at the Rujevica stadium, Rijeka's victory of 2:0 is the most common outcome. Rijeka are the favorite due to their strength, home-field advantage, and better stats in the mutual result but in this match, they lack motivation and certainly are devastated by the defeat in the final of the National Cup. Since both teams are without any pressure we can certainly expect an entertaining match with many goals.