Rijeka vs Dinamo Zagreb Prediction: Who will become the champion?

At the sold-out Rujevica, Rijeka will host Dinamo at 20:30 in a derby match of the 33rd round of the Supersport HNL, which can potentially decide the Croatian champion. Dinamo are currently the leading team in the league after Rijeka lost against Lokomotiva last weekend, so Rijeka must enter into this match without calculations.

Form: LWWWW

During most of the spring part of the season, Rijeka dominated the league table, firmly holding first place and resisting challenges from both Dinamo and Hajduk. However, their resilience buckled under the pressure last weekend when they faced Lokomotiva, resulting in a 3-1 defeat. Although Rijeka had more possession and more shots on goal, Lokomotiva were more efficient, converting half of their chances into goals. Rijeka's lack of concentration was already evident in the 15th minute when Robert Mudrazija's goal was disallowed due to the offside. By the end of the first half, Mudrazija (37′) and Marin Soticek (43′) scored goals for Lokomotiva. Sopic made three substitutions in the second half, and they turned out to be crucial in the 67th minute when the substituted Jorge Obregon scored a goal assisted by another substitute, Matej Mitrovic, reducing the score to 2-1. Rijeka pressed to the end, but they were unable to score an equalizing goal, which Soticek took advantage of by scoring his second goal of the game in the 96th minute to make the final 3-1. Now, with 71 points from 32 games played, Rijeka are in second place in the league table, just one point behind Dinamo. Rijeka's victory in this match could potentially bring the championship title to Rijeka, while any other outcome would mark Dinamo's title defense.

Form: LWWWW

After focusing on European competitions this season, Dinamo neglected their position in the domestic championship. During most of the season, it looked like the league title might end up in the hands of Rijeka or, for a while, even Hajduk. However, after PAOK eliminated Dinamo in the Round of 16 of the Conference League, seven consecutive league victories followed. They conceded only two goals, while they scored as many as 13. It is obvious that Dinamo are now completely focused on defending the championship title. In addition, there has recently been a change in the club's leadership. The legend of the club, Velimir Zajec, took over the position of president. In his first term, Zajec has an ambitious goal - to win both trophies (championship and cup) and bring them to Maksimir. In the cup final, Dinamo will also meet Rijeka. It is important to point out that there are only four rounds left until the end of the league. Dinamo currently holds the top of the table with 72 points from 32 games played. 

The last 5 meetings between these two teams took place in Supersport HNL, where Dinamo dominates with 4 wins and 1 draw. The last meeting between them was played at the end of February this year in Maksimir, where Dinamo won with a minimum of 1-0, thanks to Fran Brodic's goal from the penalty spot in the 94th minute of the match. Rijeka did not need a setback against Lokomotiva in the last round, especially not in this crucial part of the season. Only 3 points from this match will bring them back to the top of the table, and this is exactly what Sopic announced at the media conferences, what I expect from this match is a match with many opportunities and goals.