Istra 1961 vs NK Slaven Belupo Prediction

Right then, let's have a proper look at this Croatian clash between Istra 1961 and NK Slaven Belupo. These two are sitting pretty close in the table - just two points separating them in 5th and 3rd - so we've got ourselves a proper mid-table battle on our hands.

Now, Istra have been a bit of a mixed bag lately, haven't they? They pulled off a cracking 2-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb at home, which was proper quality, but then went and lost 1-0 to HNK Gorica in their last outing. The big worry for the home side is their defending - only ONE clean sheet in their last 10 games! That's about as reliable as a chocolate fireguard, mate. They're shipping 1.3 goals per game on average, and at home it's even worse at 1.5 per game.

Slaven Belupo, on the other hand, look a bit sharper at the moment. They're averaging 1.8 points per game compared to Istra's 1.4, and more importantly, they know where the goal is. They're banging in 2.1 goals per game, and away from home they're even better with 2.33 goals per game! Their away form is actually decent - 50% win rate on their travels.

What's really catching my eye is the both teams to score stat - both sides are seeing both teams score in 70% of their recent games. When you look at the head-to-head, both teams have scored in 5 of their 9 meetings, and the last encounter ended 2-1 to Slaven.

The way I see it, we've got a team that struggles to keep clean sheets (Istra) hosting a team that's scoring for fun away from home (Slaven). Istra are averaging 1.25 goals scored at home but conceding 1.5, while Slaven are averaging 2.33 scored and 1.33 conceded away. That recipe usually ends up with a few goals, doesn't it?

The goal expectancy is sitting at around 3.2 goals for this match, and given both teams' recent form and defensive vulnerabilities, I reckon we're in for a proper goal fest.