NK Osijek vs Istra 1961 Prediction

Right then, let's have a proper look at this Croatian scrap between NK Osijek and Istra 1961. The home side are having a right old time of it at the bottom of the table, sitting 9th with just 12 points from 15 games. But here's the funny thing - they've gone draw mad recently! Four draws in their last five matches, including 1-1s against Varazdin and Lokomotiva, plus a 2-2 with Vukovar. They just can't seem to win at home though - absolutely shocking record with 0% home wins in their last 10 and only managing to bang in 0.5 goals per game on their own patch.

Istra, on the other hand, are sitting pretty in 5th with 20 points. They've been much more consistent with 4 wins in their last 10, including a cracking 2-1 victory over Dinamo Zagreb. They've got a decent away record too - 40% win rate on their travels and they know how to find the net.

When these two have met before, it's been Istra who've had the upper hand. Five wins to Osijek's one, with three draws. The last time they played, back in September, Istra nicked it 2-1. Interestingly, both teams have scored in 8 out of their 9 meetings, so we usually see some action at both ends.

Looking at the stats, Osijek are averaging 1.3 goals scored and 1.4 conceded, while Istra are at 1.1 scored and 1.2 conceded. Both teams tend to score - Osijek 60% of the time, Istra 70%. But with Osijek's home form being so dire in front of goal, I'm not expecting a goal fest.

The odds have Osijek as slight favorites at 1.95, which seems a bit generous given they can't win at home to save their lives. The draw is sitting at 3.30, and that's where my money's going. Osijek have become the draw specialists of late, and Istra, while better, aren't exactly world-beaters on the road.