Rijeka vs Dinamo Zagreb Prediction: Are Rijeka in crisis?

On the eve of the representative break, a big HNL derby is scheduled in Rujevica, in which the first and second teams from the previous season, Rijeka and Dinamo, will compete. It will be the 100th jubilee match between Dinamo and Rijeka in the HNL. We are expecting a meeting between opponents who played fantastic football last season and were a contender for the title until almost the very end. However, many things are changed since last season, especially in Rijeka, so Dinamo are the favorite in this derby.

Form: LWDWL

The home team is looking forward to this match after the disaster in Ljubljana in the match of the Conference league. Rijeka was eliminated in the Conference League qualifiers after a painful 0:5 loss against Olimpija. They have no choice but to turn to the domestic championship. For coach Radomir Djalovic, however, this derby did not come at a good time, because the team is quite shaken by everything that happened on Thursday. At the beginning of this season, they are not in the best shape, but even then, they are showing much more than other clubs. They are struggling in Europe, but they played excellent HNL games, so in four games they have 10 points and a goal difference of 10:0. 

Form: WWWWW

Dinamo are in great shape, this season they have six wins in as many games, with a goal difference of 17-2. Also, Dinamo are on a streak of 20 games without defeat in all competitions, with a record of 18-2-0 and a goal difference of 44-11. Dinamo under Sergej Jakirovic are playing without mistakes this summer. They easily dealt with Qarabag in the Champions League and great games await them in Europe this fall. In the HNL, they are firmly at the top, and a triumph in Kvarner would certainly help the "Blues" confirm their status as the first favorite to win the title. Jakirovic is pleased with the rise in the form of Marko Pjaca. Now he has the chance to prove himself against his former club, where he revived his career last season. Bruno Petkovic should also play an important role in the offensive, and we must not forget Sandro Kulenovic, who was very active in Dinamo's attack during August. 

In the last 10 games in Rujevica, Dinamo won six times against Rijeka, while Rijeka were better only once. Three games ended without a winner. The goal difference in the same period is 28-16 in favor of Dinamo because Dinamo won twice with very high scores (1:5, 2:7). On the day of the match, it will be exactly 1520 days since Dinamo's last league defeat in Rujevica. In Rujevica, Dinamo scored at least two goals in the last nine matches between them, as well as at least one goal each in the last 16/17 matches with Rijeka. So far, these teams have played 99 matches in the HNL and Dinamo have 58 wins, 22 draws and Rijeka won 19 times. The goal difference is 199-93.