Sibenik vs Rijeka Prediction: Can Rijeka go on the top?

Rijeka's players are starting the countdown to the end of the first part of the season, when they will be chasing the autumn title, by visiting Sibenik in the 16th round of the HNL. To achieve this result, they need to win the last official tests in 2024 (after visiting Sibenik, they will visit Hajduk and then welcome Slaven Belupo), and the first opportunity to reach the top comes at Subicevac. Sibenik are desperately trying to make a series of good results and move up the table, but it’s easier said than done.

Form: LWLLL

This season, the weather conditions have not had much of an impact on football performances on the Sibenik’s pitch, but on Sunday, winter, the "scorching" bora, and perhaps even precipitation, could show their teeth. The weather has already deteriorated in the middle of this week, but the team simply have to focus on Rijeka and a new important match in the HNL. After the defeat in the last round, everyone asking for a reaction from this team, but the manager will have some issues with the starting eleven. Puncec will not play due to a booking. Several players are questionable, and Bakic and Zuta are listed, who felt the strain, but, according to the coach, showed their will and asked to be available. Sibenik are in 9th place with 15 points, and only one win in the last five matches in the league.

Form: WDDWD

Rijeka are still the only undefeated team in the league, they won in the last round against Gorica in a very tough match with a player less. After Dinamo and Hajduk failed to win this weekend, Rijeka have a chance to move up to first place in the league. Rijeka will certainly be without two very important players: defender Stjepan Radeljic and midfielder Lindon Selahi. And while there is no need to fear for Rijeka's "granite" defense, where the center-back duo Galesic - Majstorovic will take their place, just like in the last three games, the absence of Lindon Selahi in his current form will be somewhat more difficult for the Whites to compensate for.

Rijeka have a positive record of 13 wins, nine draws, and nine losses in their 31 away games against Sibenik so far, but this came solely as a result of a positive series in the last five away games, from which the Whites have regularly returned with full spoils. These were not routine victories, as many as three times they ended 1:0, once 2:1, and once 5:3, which is the match between the two teams with the highest number of goals. In this match I expect Rijeka to take control early in the match, dictate the tempo, and in the end to get all three points in a difficult match on a frozen pitch, in a game will few or only one goal.