Istra 1961 – Varaždin

Two teams who enjoy possession football will face off, but Istra is known for a more direct approach. Varaždin will have an advantage in terms of rest as they played on Saturday, whereas Istra played on Sunday.

The match is expected to be closely contested and both teams might employ a high press to maintain possession. However, due to the rainy weather, the pitch may make the passing game a bit more difficult.

Kovačević is likely to field the team in a 4-3-3 formation, but Brodić is still out with an injury. The midfield will consist of Belcar, while Vukčević will play at left full-back and Mitrovski on the right-wing position.

Catala’s team has two injuries (Lisica and Ekong) following the match against Hajduk, and there are doubts in the midfield line (Blagojević/Petrusenko), right fullback position (Kadušić/Hujber), and right defender position (Majstrović/Iovu).

It will be interesting to see Erceg’s duel against Varaždin’s defenders, duels for domination in midfield, and player adaptation on the bad football pitch.

Osijek – Rijeka

It’s the Round 17 derby and both coaches have high expectations for this match. Zekić’s Osijek needs a win to stay in the race for the fourth league position, which leads to European competition. Meanwhile, Sopić’s Rijeka has a good chance of winning the championship.

Zekić’s lineup is once again a question mark. In the last match against Dinamo, he decided to introduce the club’s youngsters (Matković and Prekodravac) as substitutions, and they played a challenging competitive game, even becoming key players in scoring the equaliser (Matković). It remains to be seen whether he will make similar choices for this game. Jugović is still injured, and Gržan is out for a yellow card suspension, so Guedes will probably start as the right fullback.

Sopić is expected to stick to his tactical approach, with Pašalić returning from injury to take the right-wing position. It’s unclear whether Bande will stay in the starting eleven, and whether Janković will remain in the left-wing position due to Pjaca’s injury.

The game model will be interesting to watch, and different scenarios could play out depending on Zekić’s game preparation. If Osijek decides to press, then there will be battles for second balls, as Rijeka will go with long balls from buildup. If they choose to stay low, then Osijek has the potential to be dangerous through counterattacks.

The match will feature duels between Mierez and Rijeka’s defence, and it will be interesting to see how Osijek will react in the defensive transition when their defensive line moves high up the pitch. Ultimately, it remains to be seen who will win the contest for second balls.

Hajduk – Gorica

The upcoming game will take place at the full Poljud stadium and feature two teams with strong defense, each having received only nine goals this season. Hajduk is considered the favorite, but it won’t be an easy match, especially if they don’t take advantage of their starting offense, which is present in every game. If they fail to capitalize on this advantage, Gorica is a team that could punish them.

Jeličić’s Gorica is expected to start with a similar lineup and formation as in their previous match against Rudeš, but with a more compact shape. They will be dangerous through counterattacks, utilizing Mitrović, Vojnović, Blumel, and Fruk.

Karoglan’s Hajduk will probably line up in their 433 offensive phase 4411 defensive phase formation. The only question is whether Berhaou will start on the right wing and Sahiti on the left, or if Karoglam will decide to go with two classical wingers, Dajaku on the left and Sahiti on the right. Depending on this decision, different game patterns will emerge.

It will be interesting to see how well Gorica’s defenders, Maloča and Krizmanić, cope with Livaja and Pukštaš in the box, especially on crosses. Also, will Mitrović, Vujnović, and Blumell be able to punish Hajduk’s high defensive line?

Moreover, it remains to be seen did Hajduk’s offensive patterns became more time-fluid and functional during this week’s training sessions.

Rudeš – Lokomotiva

The upcoming match is expected to be one-sided. If Rudeš maintains their active possession football strategy and high defensive line from the last game, Lokomotiva’s direct football is likely to exploit their weaknesses.

Čabraja is expected to stick to his direct Dutch 4231 formation for his team.

In a previous game against Gorica, Mijač’s football approach involved a wide 4123 formation with an attempt to maintain passing dynamics.

If the game plays out tactically as expected, it could be a devastating loss for Rudeš. Goričan, Smakaj, Šotiček and Tuci will have time and space for their transitional manoeuvres. However, we will have to wait and see how everything unfolds on the pitch.

Slaven Belupo- Dinamo

The final match of Round 17 is scheduled to take place in Koprivnica on Monday at 5:00 p.m. The reason for playing the match on Monday instead of the usual weekend schedule is that Dinamo has a Conference League match in Astana on Thursday. Although Dinamo is missing a few players such as Ristovski and Bulat, it’s still expected for them to win the match.

Slaven Belupo will be without Lepinjice due to yellow cards, so it will be interesting to see how Ferenčina will compensate for him in midfield. They will most likely play a low-block defense and try to catch Dinamo on the counterattack.

Dinamo will try to impose their game from the start, aiming to score as soon as possible and take control of the match.