Rijeka and Osijek meet at Stadion HNK Rijeka, in a match for the 13th round of 1. HNL. In the last head-to-head for this edition of the league, on 12‑09‑2020, Osijek won at home by (3‑0). The history of direct confrontations played at this stadium is favorable to the home team, which in the last 11 matches won 8, drew 2 and lost 1. Indeed, the last time these two teams played a match at this stadium, in 31 ‑05‑2020, for the HR Nogometni Cup, Rijeka won by (3‑2). The goals of the match were scored by A. Čolak (74 ‘), S. Yatéké (86’) and R. Murić (66 ‘), for Rijeka, and P. Bočkaj (48’ and 16 ‘), for Osijek. The home / away condition deserves particular attention, since despite this being a match between 5th and 2nd in the league table, it is actually a confrontation between the 1st classified in home games and the 1st away.
Rijeka:
After 5 wins and 3 losses, the home team is currently in 5th position, with 15 points won. In their last match, they beat Lokomotiva Zagreb at home by (1‑0), after losing in the previous match (2‑0) away, in a match against Šibenik. This is a team that tends to be more competitive at home, since they won 15 points in their stadium, where they scored 9 goals and suffered 3, against only 0 points away, with 0 goals scored and 6 suffered. The team comes to this match after an away loss against Napoli by (2‑0).
For this competition, he has a sequence of 5 wins in his last home matches. The team allowed goals to the opponent in 6 of the last 8 matches for this competition, so they have not been very strong defensively. In 8 games played in this competition, he got the comeback in 2 of the 5 games in which he suffered the first goal.
If it weren’t for the constant swings, Rijeka would have already achieved a better position in the championship. Therefore, he knows that he has the conditions to grow, but it is in the field where he will have to prove it. Therefore, he has to seek to correct his failures and present more security on the field. If you can find a balance point within your performances, you will have a better chance of winning victories. In the current round, he will do his best to have the score in his favor.
Osijek:
The visiting team is currently in 2nd position, with 26 points won, after 8 victories, 2 draws and 2 defeats. In the penultimate match, they won at home against Dinamo Zagreb by (2‑0). In the last match, they won away against Istra 1961 by (1‑4). This is a team little affected by the home factor, that is, they usually win as many points at home as away, with 10 goals scored and 6 suffered as a visitor, against 10 goals scored and 4 suffered at home. For the championship, Osijek won 13 points out of a possible 18, after 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in the last 6 away games.
For this competition, they have not lost any of the last 5 away matches. His attack has scored regularly, as he has always scored at least one goal in the last 10 matches for this competition. In their home matches there is a tendency for few goals, since 18 of the last 25 matches have ended with Under 2,5 goals.
Osijek have been fighting directly for the leadership of the Croatian league and cannot lose points. Even if you are out of his stadium, he knows that he can surprise and win. Of course, it will not be easy, but it will all depend on your posture and efficiency during the ninety minutes. He has already proven that he can play anywhere and against any opponent, so this will be no different.
PREDICTION: Osijek to win @ 2,00
