On Wednesday, 15 May the final of the Croatian Cup will be held, featuring Dinamo Zagreb and Rijeka.
Congratulations are in order for the hosts on yet another championship title. However, to be frank, they don't really have worthy opposition in the division. Dinamo are the undisputed leaders that everyone aspires to catch up with. Nevertheless, this season the gap from second place wasn't as wide, so they had to put in some hard work. They secured away victories over Rijeka (2-1) and Osijek (1-0), firmly establishing themselves at the top of the table.
Arguably the only team in the league somewhat on par with Dinamo, though still a notch below. They finished the season in second place, but the Cup offers a chance for redemption after previous defeats, albeit away from home. In the last few rounds, they appeared somewhat weak and buckled under pressure, losing to Lokomotiva Zagreb (1-3) and Varazdin (1-3).
Since 2021, the teams have clashed six times. Dinamo dominated five of those matches (2-1, 1-0, 2-1, 2-1, 1-0), with one match ending in a draw (2-2).
Dinamo have already secured their place in the Champions League for the next season, which is the most important achievement. While the Cup is also a coveted prize, I believe Rijeka will give it their all here. My faith lies with a home victory at odds of 1.95, but my pick is: total over 2.
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