Rijeka vs Varazdin Prediction: Interesting encounter in the HNL

Rijeka and Varazdin will play a match as part of the 11th round of Supersport HNL on Saturday, October 26, 2024. This match will be played at the Rujevica stadium in Rijeka and will start at 9:30 p.m. This will be a derby round because this is a duel between the second and fourth teams of the league. More precisely, Rijeka are in second place with 20, while Varazdin are fourth and have 15 points. And let's add, in this round, Rijeka are looking for a victory and an end to the streak of three consecutive draws in the league.

Form: WDDDW

The players of Rijeka did not have much time to think or to analyze the duel against the lower league Bednja, which they managed to "open" and win at their Rujevica after almost an hour of play. The goal has been achieved, the Whites are one of the best eight teams in the National Cup, and now on the same field another opponent will face them, but much, much stronger, Varazdin. Rijeka are in 2nd place, with 20 points, 4 points less than Hajduk and the pressure is getting higher after drawing the last 3 matches in the league, and in 2 of them, Rijeka were a huge favorite. 

Form: WLLWD

Varazdin are the hit this season in the league, they are in 4th place with 15 points, 4 wins, 3 draws and 3 defeats. They aren’t as good in away matches as they are at home, and they have only a win, 2 draws and 2 defeats as visitors. In the last round they were confident and won 2:1 against Gorica at home, and for many Varazdin’s form isn’t a surprise or coincidence, it’s the hard work and discipline that their manager Safaric asks from them. Varazdin didn’t played last week in the Cup and had more time to prepare for this difficult away match.

Rijeka welcomes Varazdin in a kind of derby since Varazdin are one of the most pleasant surprises this season. The team of Nikola Safaric, the former midfielder of Rijeka, holds an excellent fourth place, and with great individuals like Zelenika, Sega, and Mitrovski show clear ambitions to fight for Europe. Of course, Rijeka also have their calculation, and after three championship draws (Hajduk, Slaven Belupo, Lokomotiva), they want to return to the winning track. Andric is questioned due to a concussion, Smolcic, and Perica due to minor injuries. Rijeka are undefeated in domestic competitions, their only defeats are the European ones against Elfsborg (0-2) in Boras and Olimpija in Ljubljana (0-5), but as we said, after three consecutive draws it is time for Djalovic's team to celebrate.