NK Lokomotiva Zagreb vs Istra 1961 Prediction

Right then, let's have a proper look at this Croatian HNL clash between Lokomotiva Zagreb and Istra 1961. The home side are sitting pretty in 3rd place with 16 points, while Istra are lagging a bit in 6th on 12 points.

Lokomotiva have been decent lately, mind you. They've picked up 4 wins and 4 draws from their last 10 games, and they even managed to beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 - that's no mean feat, that! They've been scoring at a fair old rate too, netting 15 goals in those 10 games. At home, they're winning half their matches, which ain't too shabby.

Istra, on the other hand, are struggling a bit on their travels. They've only won 16.67% of their away games this season, which is proper poor. They've managed just 10 goals in their last 10 matches while letting in 15. They did get a decent 2-1 win over Osijek recently, but then got stuffed 0-3 by Hajduk Split, so they're a bit hit and miss.

When these two met back in August, it ended 2-2, and looking at the head-to-head, it's been pretty even over the years - 3 wins each and 3 draws. Six of their nine meetings have gone over 2.5 goals, so we usually see a bit of action.

Now here's the interesting bit - both teams seem to have leaky defences but know where the goal is. Lokomotiva have seen both teams score in 70% of their games, while Istra are at 60%. Neither side is exactly brilliant at keeping clean sheets - both are stuck on just 20% clean sheet rates.

The stats show Lokomotiva are scoring 1.5 goals per game at home, while Istra are conceding 1.5 away from home. That's a recipe for goals, if you ask me!

Key Points:

• Lokomotiva in 3rd vs Istra in 6th

• Lokomotiva beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 recently

• Istra poor away - only 16.67% win rate

• Last meeting ended 2-2

• Both teams have 70% and 60% BTTS rates respectively

• Both sides leak goals - only 20% clean sheets each

Looking at the odds, BTTS Yes at 1.73 seems about right given how both teams play. They both score but also both concede, and with Lokomotiva's home advantage in attack and Istra's defensive issues on the road, I reckon we'll see both teams find the net here.