David Flower
Dailysports's expert
The first match of the final showdown in the Croatian Cup will take place on Wednesday evening in Zagreb, where local powerhouse Dinamo will clash with Rijeka at the Maksimir Stadium. Here's the prediction for this match from the team of experts at Dailysports.
Dinamo Zagreb
It's fair to acknowledge that Dinamo faced no significant challenges on their path to the Croatian Cup final. The "Blues" comfortably dispatched opponents such as Ponikve (4-1), Oriolik (8-0), and Gorica (4-0), with only Split's Hajduk providing worthy competition in the semifinals, losing narrowly by 0-1.
In their domestic league, Zagreb's Dinamo secured yet another championship title. Currently, the "Blues" lead their closest competitor by seven points. In their last match, Dinamo hosted Osijek and clinched a 1-0 victory, scoring the sole goal in the 73rd minute. This win marked Dinamo's tenth consecutive victory in the league.
Rijeka
The "Whites" also navigated through the Croatian Cup journey quite confidently. They comfortably defeated Libertas (9-0) and Cibalia (3-1) in the early stages and secured narrow 1-0 victories against Rudeš and Lokomotiva Zagreb in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.
As they prepare to face Dinamo Zagreb, Rijeka comes off a 1-3 away defeat to Varazdin in the league. This loss marked Rijeka's third consecutive defeat in the Croatian league. However, the team has already secured the second spot and a place in the Europa League, allowing them to focus on the clash with Dinamo.
Interesting Match Facts and Head-to-Head History
- The teams have played four matches in the league, with Zagreb's Dinamo emerging victorious in three instances, with one draw at Rijeka's ground in November 2023.
- In the last five encounters between them, the "Total Over 2.5" bet hit four times, with the match ending 2-1 on three occasions.
- The "Both Teams to Score" bet succeeded in four out of the last five matches.
Dinamo Zagreb vs Rijeka Prediction
Dinamo is the clear favorite for the first match of the final stage, with bookmakers offering odds of 1.87 for a home victory. We suggest sticking with the obvious choice and betting on "Dinamo Zagreb to win" in this encounter.
