Lokomotiva Zagreb (Home)
- 6th-placed NK Istra 1961 Pula (12 points from 9 games) will face 7th-placed NK Lokomotiva Zagreb (7 points from 9 matches) at Stadion Kranjčevićeva in a key relegation battle on Saturday.
- Lokosi have suffered a run of bad form (W0 D1 L4) since their 1-1 draw at home to Rijeka in late October, losing the last two matches against Dinamo Zagreb (3-2, A) and NK Varazdin (0-1, H).
NK Istra 1961 Pula (Away)
- Istra are in fair-to-good form (W2 D2 L1).
- Zeleno-žuti arrive in Zagreb having won 2, drawn 2 and lost 1 of their last 5 games - a run that has included a 3-2 home victory over Rudes, a 0-1 defeat to HNK Gorica and a 3-1 away win at Osijek in a 45-minute purple patch.
Head-to-Head
Lokomotiva know how to break down Istra having won 3-2 in an away league clash 2 months ago, and they have a better head-to-head record in HNL 2026/2027 (W2 D2 L1).
Key Players
- In his short time in charge of Lokomotiva (since 1st July 2025), Nikica Jelavic has built a vertical attacking game around Dusan Vukovic, their main threat in HNL 2026/2027 with 3 goals in 8 appearances.
- Javi Cabello has been in charge of Istra since 9th June 2026 and has had to build his side around the characteristics of a talented, but small and limited player in Emil Frederiksen, who is their talisman in HNL 2026/2027 with 7 goals in 8 matches.
Betting Insights
- The game looks set to be tight, but there are a few reasons why Lokosi are our slight preference at 2.29, ahead of Istra at 2.73 and the draw at 3.62.
- Lokomotiva do have a decent home record (W1 D1 L1) whereas Istra have just a single victory in their 4 road games to date (W1 D2 L1).
Prediction
- The result will likely hinge on whether Lokomotiva can break down the Istra block, and whether Istra can take advantage of the turnovers.
- With both teams to score at 1.45 and over 2.5 goals at 1.54 on the table, we can conclude that this game should have enough action for Lokomotiva to come out on top.