Istra
- Istra sit with 26 points from 17 games so far, whilst Rijeka have accumulated 24 points in the same number of games.
- Oriol Riera, who took over as Istra manager in September 2025, has organised his side in a compact and counter-punching 4-2-3-1 setup which is incredibly difficult to break down.
- Istra are disciplined, intense in their pressing, and fast on the counterattack, making them extremely hard to get at since his appointment.
- Istra have won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five matches, whilst Rijeka have picked up three wins and two draws from their unbeaten five-game stretch.
Rijeka
- Rijeka, on the other hand, are possession specialists who aim to control the flow of the game with their structured build-up play, width, and coordinated pressing.
- Victor Sanchez has overseen an unbeaten run since his appointment as coach in September 2025, making The Primes a tough nut to crack this season.
- Rijeka have won just one of their eight away matches in the HNL 2025/2026, with four draws and three defeats.
Head-to-Head
- The head-to-head record between these two sides across all competitions reads two wins to one in Istra's favour, plus a draw, but the last two meetings have ended 0-0 and the next match could be another cagey affair.
- Istra average 1.0 goals when hosting Rijeka, whilst the visitors average 0.5 as visitors.
Key Players
- Smail Prevljak has scored seven goals in 14 HNL appearances for Istra and six of their last ten.
- Toni Fruk has bagged eight goals in 17 HNL matches for Rijeka, leading their scoring charts.
Betting Insights
Under 2.5 match goals seems a smart play at 1.67 , as the most recent two meetings between these sides finished 0-0 , and recent home and away fixtures have been low-scoring.
Prediction
Istra have not lost any of their last two home games (D2) and Rijeka have drawn their last two away (D2), so the draw at 3.15 appears to be an excellent value bet, whilst a narrow 1-0 away win looks a likely outcome.
