Hajduk Split vs Istra 1961 Prediction: Fierce rivalry but Hajduk are the favorite

On Saturday, starting at 7:30 p.m., Hajduk will face Istra 1961 in the 13th round of the HNL. The Whites are looking for three points after being defeated in Varazdin for the first time this season in domestic competition. Now, they want to make up for the poor performance in the last round in front of the home fans. Regardless of the result, they will remain at the top, but it would be nice for them to go to the break with the taste of victory. In addition, they would only come one step closer to the record set in 2019/20 when Hajduk won eight consecutive home games. Now they are at six, but the catch is that the next home match after Istra is the derby with Dinamo, their eternal rival.

Form: LWWWW

Before the match against Istra, Gennaro Gattuso said that we are all afraid of the dentist and experience a lot of discomfort when our teeth are worked on. Istra are just like a toothache; they play vertically and physically and are strong. We have to do that dentist visit well and be real. Gattuso was once again very interesting to the press and the public, but Hajduk will be pressured to win this match. Their captain, Livaja, is once again injured, and it’s a huge blow for them. Hajduk were defeated in the last round away against Varazdin, but they are still in 1st place with 3 points more than Rijeka and 4 points more than Dinamo, so they can’t relax and must go for the 3 points in this duel.

Form: LWLDW

Istra played the last game with Hajduk very well, with a score of 1:1, but all the games they have played with them this year were good, but Istra won only once in the last 5 matches against Hajduk. They are in 7th place with 12 points, 3 wins, 3 draws and 6 defeats. In the last 5 matches in the league, they have 2 defeats, 2 draws, and a win. After they drew against Dinamo, they were defeated twice with the same result 1:0, away against Gorica and home against Rijeka.

Hajduk are the favorite in this match, and even though it’s a local derby in Dalmatia, they are expected to dominate the match and win easily. However, Istra are always playing well against the best teams in the league, they even drew against Dinamo two weeks ago. In the last 5 matches, Hajduk won twice; two matches ended in a draw, and Istra had only a win. Interesting, all 5 matches ended with under 2.5 goals, but I expect something different here: a home win and many goals in the match.