We have reached the second round of fixtures in the 2022/23 Croatia 1. HNL and on the 23rd of July we have a meeting between Slaven Belupo and Dinamo Zagreb.
The match will be played at Gradski Stadion and both have 3 points to their name following the opening round of games.
Savršen start u sezonu!! Kocijan za sva tri boda u Varaždinu. Bravo dečki! 😎😎😎😎#samoslaven pic.twitter.com/6Nz1j5teEl— NK Slaven Belupo (@nkslavenbelupo) July 17, 2022
Savršen start u sezonu!! Kocijan za sva tri boda u Varaždinu. Bravo dečki! 😎😎😎😎#samoslaven pic.twitter.com/6Nz1j5teEl
Slaven Belupo come into the match having started their 2022/23 campaign with a 1-0 win at Varaždin. The only goal of the game was scored in the 49th minute and the single goal was enough for Slaven Belupo to take maximum points against the team who were promoted from the second-tier last season.
However, taking into account league matches from last season and Slaven Belupo have been struggling to win games in the 1. HNL. In fact, Slaven Belupo have won only 2 of their last 12 league fixtures and only 1 of their last 4 matches in the 1. HNL.
Wins have not been easy to come by at home and Slaven Belupo have recorded only 1 win from their last 6 league matches at Gradski Stadion.
In terms of goals, Slaven Belupo have kept just a single clean sheet in their last 5 home 1. HNL games and have conceded goals in 16 of their last 18 home league games. Slaven Belupo have also failed to score a goal in 4 of their 6 most recent home league fixtures.
Dinamo Zagreb make the trip to the Gradski Stadion on the back of a 2-2 draw at home against Shkupi in the second round of Champions League qualifying.
Dinamo Zagreb fell behind in the 25th minute but equalised shortly before half time. Dinamo Zagreb took the lead with only 4 minutes remaining on the clock but conceded a second goal in the 89th minute.
That result means Dinamo Zagreb are undefeated in their 3 competitive games this season. They started the 2022/23 campaign with a penalty shootout win over Hajduk Split in the Super Cup following a 0-0 draw and beat Lokomotiva Zagreb 3-2 at home in a derby in the 1. HNL.
Trends show Dinamo Zagreb are undefeated in their last 6 1. HNL matches and have lost only 1 of their 13 most recent league fixtures. Dinamo Zagreb's most recent record of 10 consecutive away games against Slaven Belupo consists of no losses and they are unbeaten in 45 of their 47 most recent clashes against Slaven Belupo in 1. HNL.
Team news and Slaven Belupo are likely to go with the same starting XI from the win last week. That means a place in attack for Arber Hoxha and Ante Crnac.
With the second leg of their Champions League qualifying tie coming up next week, Dinamo Zagreb could make some changes to their starting XI. Kevin Théophile-Catherine, Luka Menalo, Martin Baturina, Mislav Oršić, and Stefan Ristovski could come into the team.
This is not going to be a straightforward victory for Dinamo Zagreb and they will be forced to work hard for the 3 points. A clean sheet will be the basis for a victory and a single goal should be enough for Dinamo Zagreb to take maximum points.