Rijeka vs Osijek Prediction: 100th derby between Rijeka and Osijek

Rijeka welcomes Osijek in the 26th round of the HNL. A very demanding match for the leader of the domestic championship. Rijeka are the leader in the championship standings, and in addition to that, they have recorded four victories in a row at their stadium Rujevica with a goal difference of 12:0! And on Sunday, in the derby of the 26th round of SuperSport HNL, Osijek will arrive at the sold-out Rujevica. It is a clash between the two most efficient teams in this season's championship and it will surely be a spectacle. 

Form: WWLWW

Rijeka are the deserved leader of the HNL, in the last nine rounds they recorded eight victories and a defeat against Dinamo, with a goal from a penalty kick deep in stoppage time. Rijeka awaits this derby in a great mood and atmosphere throughout the city. It will also be the 100th-anniversary derby of these two rivals, and it will be watched by around 8,000 spectators! After Istra 1961, Lokomotive, and Varazdin, the match against Osijek will be Rijeka's fourth home game in a row, which will be played in front of full stands. On the previous three occasions, a full stadium helped Rijeka win, and the fans of the team from Kvarner expect a triumph in this derby as well.

Form: DLDWL

Osijek do not arrive in Rijeka in the best shape, although in the last round, they were one step away from winning over Dinamo in Gradski vrt, but the Blues from Zagreb, like a week earlier against Rijeka, got a valuable point deep in stoppage time. Osijek have also become threatened in fourth place, where they have the same number of points as Lokomotiva, 36. Therefore, Zoran Zekic's team hopes for at least a point in this derby.

As for the previous 99 derbies, Rijeka are slightly better with 36 wins, Osijek 35, and 28 times there were draws. The tradition of the recent era also goes to Rijeka's side, and in the last five matches, they have not recorded a defeat against the White and Blue. Of course, Zeljko Sopic's team is only interested in winning today, which would keep the advantage over the competition, and who knows, maybe even increase it. There aren’t any major issues in either team with injured or disciplined players, so an interesting, tense derby is expected in which I believe that Rijeka will get all 3 points.