Lokomotiva vs Hajduk Split Prediction: Hajduk must win in Zagreb

Hajduk will play the 20th round of the HNL against Lokomotiva in Zagreb on Sunday at 12:50. This is the second match of the championship for the Whites, who drew with Slaven Belupo (0:0) at Poljud a week ago. The match is being played at a special, earlier time after an agreement with the league and clubs, in order to avoid a later overlap with the World Handball Championship final where Croatia and Denmark meet (6 p.m.). It is a very important match for Gattuso and Hajduk and the pressure is huge, while in Lokomotiva are desperate for points.

Lokomotiva Zagreb

Form: LWDWW

Lokomotiva did not fare well in the first spring match at Rujevica, they were too unstable to be able to upset the leader who celebrated with 4:1. Silvio Cabraj's team again conceded four goals at Rujevica, and the same happened in August at the start of the championship. After Rijeka, Hajduk comes next, another huge test for the boys from Kajzerica. In the first match of this season, Lokomotiva saved itself from defeat in the ninth minute of injury time, while in October, Hajduk celebrated with great difficulty with 2:1 in front of their fans. The only scorer in both of those games was a player who will not be on the pitch on Sunday. Duje Cop scored for a point and even for a draw against his former club, but he is no longer with Lokomotiva, having moved to Rijeka. The experienced striker also scored in May 2024 against Hajduk in a 2:5 defeat in Zagreb, and before that, he assisted one of Robert Mudrazija's two goals in a 2:1 win in Split... Cabraj's job is therefore very clear, not simple. He must find a new Cop. In Rijeka, he has placed the young, 22-year-old Montenegrin Dusan Vukovic at center forward, who rewarded him with a goal in only his third league start this season. Cabraj doesn't have many other solutions, after all, Vukovic is not a classic center forward either, he more often acted as a winger. However, Lokomotiva are having big troubles and this team will have many troubles to keep up in the league.

Hajduk Split

Form: DLLWW

After Hajduk's first game of the spring part of the season, the impression remained that the attacking line needed a complete reconstruction, except for Marko Livaja, and it happened with the arrival of Sega, Rusin, and Mlakar. The trio could quickly catch fire considering that they have already started training, so the line that is closest to the opponent's goal and whose task is to clean up what their colleagues from the defense and midfield prepare could soon have a completely new look. Easily possible with Livaja behind Mlakar who will be assisted by Sego and Rusin. Biuk and Sanyang are on the way to losing all their credits with Gennaro Gattuso, although the Whites will need every player until the end of the season, so no one should be written off. Hajduk drew against Slaven Belupo at home in the last match, and it was a big mistake for them and very expensive points in the title race.

Expert Betting Tips

Does Gattuso have a recipe for Sunday from that match, did he use the experiences of his predecessors in this match against Lokomotiva? He will offer us the answers to these questions at Sunday lunchtime when the ball will start from the center in Kranjceviceva. I expect a much more active play from Hajduk and I think that Lokomotiva are not a match for the whites from Split and I think that Hajduk will win with several goals difference in a match in which they will have total control.

Our prediction for the match is for the away team to win for the odds of 1.9 at 1xbet

Our second prediction is – a total over 2.5 goals for odds of 2.05 at Betway.

Our third prediction is for both teams to score for odds of 1.83 at bet365.