Istra 1961 vs Lokomotiva Zagreb Prediction: Both teams are desperate for points

Istra and Lokomotiva Zagreb are playing very erratically this season and it is no wonder that they are in the lower half of the table. There seems to be a lot of room for improvement for both teams, and it remains to be seen whether they will step up in this game. Both teams were defeated in the last round of the HNL but managed to recover after winning the cup. 

Form: WLLWD

Istra are currently in ninth position in the HNL with 7 points. In 9 games played, Istrians have one win, 4 draws, and 4 losses with a goal difference of 8-18. At home, Istra have two draws and two defeats with a goal difference of 4-8. After two tied defeats of 1-0 each against Varazdin and Gorica, Istra beat Zagora 2-0 in the Croatian Cup. Last season in the first part of the season they were amazing and everyone saw them among the best 4-5 teams, but since their form dropped at the end of last season it seems that this team can’t find form and is struggling in every match.

Form: WLWWW

Lokomotiva Zagreb are seventh in the HNL standings with 9 points. In the 8 games played so far this season, they have 2 wins, 3 draws, and 3 losses with a goal difference of 9-10. Zagreb are the third-worst visiting team this season with one win and three losses with a goal difference of 2-4. After three tied victories in all competitions, Lokomotiva was defeated by Hajduk 1-0, and last week they defeated Dugo Selo by the same score in the Croatian Cup. 

Both Istra and Lokomotiva Zagreb have a worse start to the season than expected. This is especially true for Istra who have only one victory so far. Lokomotiva are slightly better, but they have lost 3 out of 4 away games this season. It is interesting that Lokomotiva played from 0 to 1 goal in the last five games and that no more than two goals were seen in 4 of the last 5 meetings between Istra and Lokomotiva. With that in mind, it's best to play under 2.5 goals in this game.