Hajduk Split vs Slaven Belupo Prediction: Hajduk looks mighty this season

This Sunday, Hajduk opens their season in the HNL, with a match at their Poljud stadium against Slaven Belupo. It will be another game in front of well-filled stands, in which the home team is expected to win. There is no doubt that the Split club under the leadership of Gennaro Gattuso aims to win the title of Croatian champion. Hajduk already have two competitive matches against Torshavn from the Faroe Islands, in which they recorded a victory and a draw. Now they have to confirm that they are ready for the highest ranges in the domestic championship. Slaven Belupo are playing difficulty against Hajduk, and it seems that this season they don’t have any chance against The Whites from Split.

Form: DWWWW

It should be the first game in which Ivan Rakitic will start from the first minute for his new club. With him, Hajduk got a real sound reinforcement, but we will see how ready the experienced Croatian midfielder is for HNL challenges. Gattuso can also count on Ivan Perisic in his offensive, another top-class player who decided to end his career in Split. We are not sure if he can play the full 90 minutes against Slaven either, but he certainly brings quality to the pitch. It will be interesting to see how Marko Livaja will get along with the new names in Hajduk's ranks, after being the club's biggest star for years. Goals are expected from him on Sunday. Last season, he scored less than the fans expected. As for the defense, Gattuso bases it on Filip Uremovic and Zvonimir Sarlija, while Dario Melnjak is still on the bench. Ivan Lucic remained in goal, a favorite solution of previous coaches. Gatusso will certainly have in mind that Hajduk plays their next match in 4 days, against Ruzomberok in the Conference League, and since they expect to play in this European competition this season the pressure is high on Gattuso right from the start of the season.

Form: LWWLD

On the other hand, Slaven Belupo under the leadership of Ivan Radeljic will try once again to fight for survival and if possible, finish in the middle of the table. In their ranks, Slaven have Robert Muric in the offensive line, and this is a man that Hajduk's defense will have to pay special attention to. Tomislav Strkalj also has potential, and there is also young winger Matej Sakota, who is expected to prove himself in the new season. However, in this match, the biggest responsibility rests on the defense of the team from Koprivnica, led by captain Tomislav Bozic. In other words, Slaven will have to line up so that Ivan Susak has as little work as possible between the goalposts. That is the only recipe for the team from Koprivnica to avoid defeat in Split.

Either because of the reputation or because of the quality of the players, every bookmaker has declared Hajduk the clear favorite in this Sunday's game. I believe that Gattuso will continue with his hard football, which he cultivated while working in Italy. Hajduk will once again go for a safe victory without risk, with minimal space for rival attackers. That is why I think a home win with several goals difference is a good option for betting, as well as for both teams not to score, or for the brave, Slaven Belupo not to score in this match.