Rijeka and Istra 1961 meet at Nogometno igralište Rujevica, in a match for the 3rd round of 1. HNL. The history of head-to-head matches played at this stadium is favorable to the home team, which in the last 11 matches won 10 and drew 1. Indeed, the last time these two teams played a match at this stadium, on 25‑07‑ 2020, for 1. HNL, Rijeka won by (4-2). A. Čolak (18 ‘, 25’, 35 ‘and 54’) scored the goals of the match, for Rijeka, and G. Guzina (60 ‘and 78′), for Istra 1961. Particular attention is needed for the condition home / away, as both teams present significantly different results at home and away.
Rijeka :
Currently in the th position, the home team did not win any points up to this point. On matchday 1 they managed to beat Šibenik at home by (2‑1). On the following day, the final score was a (1‑0) loss in the visit to Lokomotiv Zagreb. This is a stronger team with the support of its fans, since in the last 30 games it has registered 6 wins, 2 draws and 7 losses as a visitor, with 20 goals scored and 20 suffered; against 13 victories, 1 draw and 1 defeat in their stadium, with 37 goals scored and 14 suffered. In their last 10 home matches Rijeka has recorded 8 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. Their defense has not been very strong, as they have suffered goals in 7 of the last 10 matches, but their offense has scored regularly, as they have scored goals in 7 of the last 10 matches. In 14 games, he only managed 2 comebacks in the 7 games in which he suffered the first goal. There is 1 period that stands out in the last 8 home matches for all competitions: they have scored 6 of their 15 goals between minutes (76’ ‑ 90 ‘).
Rijeka ended up winning on the first day of the Croatian championship, however, they were defeated in the next game. It’s too early to say how far you can go, but obviously you need to be consistent if you want to run a good campaign. At home he cannot lose points and that is valid on this day. So, he will have to impose himself and have possession of the ball, all this to minimize the risks of being surprised.
Istra 1961 :
The visiting team is currently in 10th position, without any points won. In their debut they lost away against Hajduk Split by (2‑0). In matchday 2, they lost at home to Dinamo Zagreb by (0‑1). This is a stronger team with the support of its fans, since in the last 30 games it has registered 1 victory and 14 losses as a visitor, with 7 goals scored and 34 suffered; against 4 victories, 6 draws and 5 defeats in his stadium, with 17 goals scored and 18 suffered. In their last 10 away matches, Istra 1961 has recorded 1 win and 9 losses. Their defense has not been very strong, since they have suffered goals in 8 of the last 10 matches. This is a team that tends to score first few times: it only opened the scoring in 3 of its last 14 games, of these 3 it reached the break in advantage in all of them and won at the end of the 90 ‘in 2. In 14 games, it suffered the first goal 10 times and never got the comeback.
Istra faced two strong rivals at the start of the championship and the results were not the best. The team has suffered two defeats and knows that it has to go in search of its first points. Meanwhile, he will face a qualified rival and in his stadium, which will make his life even more difficult. So, he’s going to have to put up a strong defense if he wants to at least tie. But if he wants to win, he is going to have to present an above-average quality football.
PREDICTION: Over 2,5 goals @ 1,53
