In this week 22 match on the 18th of February, Istra 1961 hosts Osijek in a clash of the 1. HNL. Weather on match day is looking like a cloudy and cool day, with daytime temperatures of only 10 degrees, which is great football weather. In their last match, Istra 1961 recorded a 0-1 loss against Dinamo Zagreb. Stefan Ristovski struck first for Dinamo Zagreb in the 37th minute, and with that single goal the scoring was complete. Neither team could manage anything else In the end, Istra 1961 was frustrated by Dinamo Zagreb’s defence and couldn’t put any tallies on the board. Dinamo Zagreb ended the match with the shutout victory. Istra 1961 is looking for direction having 4 win and 3 losses in their last 10 matches, while in their last match, 3rd placed Osijek, recorded a 0-0 scoreless draw against Slaven Koprivnica. Neither Osijek nor Slaven Koprivnica could manage to put one past the goalie. They had 12 and 7 shots on net respectively, but no one could score, and the match ended in a scoreless draw,. Osijek should be reasonably happy with their recent performance, earning 17 points in their last 10 matches.
On Oct 15th, Osijek hosted Istra 1961 at the Stadion Gradski Vrt in their last match together. Osijek was victorious by a score of 2 to 0. Ramón Mierez struck first for Osijek in the 62nd minute, then Mijo Caktaš added another in the 5th minute of the second half’s stoppage time In the end, Istra 1961 couldn’t muster any offence and Osijek ran away with the shutout win.
For Osijek, their top scorers are Josip Špoljarić and Ramón Mierez, each having 2 goals in their last five matches. Istra 1961 is lucky enough to have a few offensive weapons, with Ante Erceg and Einar Galilea each having 2 goals in their last 5.