Hajduk Split vs Istra 1961 Prediction: Another easy match for Hajduk

This Saturday evening, at Poljud, football fans will have the opportunity to witness the match between the Hajduk and Istra, as part of the 7th round of the Supersport HNL. Hajduk, who started the season exceptionally, with all five victories in 5 games played, occupies the leading position in the table. On the other hand, Istra are still fighting for their first victory this season, with a series of results that have not yet brought the desired points. Hajduk haven’t started like this for a long time, appetites have grown, there are footballers like Krovinovic and of course Marko Livaja, but they have to live from week to week and not get lost in the process. This is exactly why the derby against the team from Pula is important.

Form: WWLWD

Undoubtedly, few could have anticipated the extraordinary start of Hajduk in this year's Supersport HNL, where they achieved the maximum number of points in the five games played. That's impressive, especially considering challenging opponents like Dinamo and Rijeka in the early rounds. The away victory against Dinamo (1-2) and the triumph against Rijeka (1-0) at home stand out among their successes. After that, there were convincing triumphs against Slaven Belupo (3-0), Rudes (0-2), and an away win against Varazdin (1-2) last weekend. With his four goals, Marko Livaja is in third place on the list of HNL scorers, which further contributes to the successful development of the Split club at the moment.

Form: DDDLL

Istra are facing challenges in this year's Supersport HNL season, as they have not yet managed to register a victory in the first six matches played. With four draws and two defeats, they have collected four points in total and occupy eighth place in the table. Only Lokomotiva and Rudes are below them with fewer points. It is important to note that Istra scored seven goals in these six games, but on the contrary, their defense was not the most convincing, conceding as many as 16 goals. That ranks them as the league's second most prolific defense, worst is only Slaven Belupo who conceded 17 goals.

Based on the analysis, forecasting the outcome of this meeting is quite challenging, but the history of head to head matches provides clues. The last two meetings in Poljud ended in a draw of 2-2, which points to an even fight. Furthermore, the presence of scorers like Marko Livaja from Hajduk and Ante Erceg from Istria hint that this could be a game with goals from both sides. However Hajduk are cleat favorite here and anything else but home win will be huge surprise.