- League positions: Hajduk Split and NK Istra 1961 Pula are 7th and 6th in HNL 2026/2027 respectively after 1 game with 0 points for either club.
- Head-to-head: Hajduk have won 2 of their last 3 matches with Istra with no ties and beat Istra 3-1 away in HNL 2025/2026 3 months ago.
- Odds: Hajduk Split are 1.34 favourites to beat NK Istra 1961 Pula who are 7.9 to take the victory with the tie at 5.0 on Sunday.
Hajduk and Istra set to be tough to split
Tactics:
Hajduk Split are favorites at 1.34 to beat NK Istra 1961 Pula at Poljud on Sunday, but the visitors should get enough chances to ensure a tight game at 7.9.
Javi Cabello has Istra set up to be a tough team to break down. A pressing team, they will stay compact and look to absorb pressure, then counter-attack out of a deep block with speed.
Hajduk have played a high-tempo, pressing 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 in their first two 2026/2027 games, driving play through a No.10 at pace and pushing their full-backs forward with the wide forwards.
That tactical contrast screams press vs block with Hajduk on the ball, but Istra can cause problems if they can break and hit the space behind Hajduk's full-backs.
Hajduk are the most likely winner on the day but Istra's counter-punching could see them get something from this game.
Form and key players:
Their last three results show the swing in this fixture – a 2-0 home win over Pafos in UEFA Europa League qualifying, a 4-0 away defeat to the same team in extra-time and a 2-1 away loss to Varaždin in HNL 2026/2027.
Hajduk have failed to win their previous 2 home ties with Istra in HNL so this derby still has a bit of bite to it, but the odds favor the hosts because of Istra's worse overall form (W0, D3, L2) and the fact they lost 3-1 to Hajduk only 3 months ago.
Over 2.5 goals at 1.6 looks a smart bet and both teams to score at 1.85 also looks very strong given the likelihood that both teams will have to score to win the game on the road.
- Rokas Pukstas is Hajduk's top scorer in HNL 2026/2027 with 1 goal in 1 game, while Adrion Pajaziti has 1 assist in the same number of matches.
- Emil Frederiksen is the danger man for Istra, top-scoring in HNL 2026/2027 with 2 goals in 1 game, and he has 2 goals in Istra's last 5 games.
- Istra have gone undefeated in 2 of their last 3 away games (W0, D2, L1) while Hajduk have won their two previous home games in all competitions (W2, D0, L0).
