NK Osijek welcome NK Slaven Belupo to Opus Arena on Friday evening in the final round of the HNL season. The table is largely settled, so this is less about a dramatic race and more about finishing the campaign with a better note. Osijek are locked into 9th place, while Slaven Belupo sit 8th and can still nudge their position upward a little.
For Tomislav Radotić’s side, the main aim is to avoid ending a frustrating season with another flat home display. Osijek’s home record tells the story: just 16 points from 17 matches, with only three wins and 10 goals scored at home. They have also failed to win any of their last four league matches, and their most recent outing ended in a 2-0 defeat at Gorica. That was another game where they had enough of the ball and enough chances to ask questions, but not enough sharpness in either box to turn pressure into points.
The broader numbers are not kind either. Osijek have scored only 25 league goals all season and have lost 17 of their 35 matches. At home, they are averaging just 0.6 goals per game, which goes a long way toward explaining why so many of their recent results have been tight and low-scoring. There is at least some incentive to finish strongly in front of their own fans, even if the result will not change their final placing. Anton Matković is a confirmed absentee with an ACL injury, and with the season effectively settled, rotation would not be a surprise.
NK Osijek Form & Analysis
Osijek’s recent run has been a poor one: one win in six, with four defeats in that sequence. Their last victory came on 21 April at Hajduk Split, and since then the goals have dried up again. They drew blank against Istra, lost at Gorica, and have generally lacked the cutting edge required to make home advantage count.
The underlying issue is not just the results, but the attack. Osijek have gone four matches without a win and, by the market streak data, have also gone four without scoring. That lines up with the season-long picture and suggests they will need something different on Friday if they are to break the pattern. Even so, the home setting and Slaven’s defensive record on the road leave room for a narrow chance.
NK Slaven Belupo Form & Analysis
Slaven Belupo arrive in a slightly better league position, but not in especially good shape. Mario Gregurina’s team were beaten 4-1 at home by Dinamo Zagreb last weekend, which followed an up-and-down spell that has included only one win in their last six. That win was a 1-0 home success over Gorica, but their other recent results have been more open, with goals at both ends and several matches getting away from them late on.
Their away record is modest as well: only two away wins all season, with 34 goals conceded on the road. Still, they have scored 20 away goals, which is a useful sign against an Osijek side that has not kept many clean sheets at home. Gregurina has also pointed to squad issues and a thin group, with more young players likely to get minutes before the season ends. That makes their level of consistency harder to trust, especially in a final-round match where freshness may matter as much as organisation.
Head-to-Head
The recent meetings have been tight. The last two league games between these sides both finished 0-0, including the reverse fixture in March and the meeting in Osijek in December. That stands out, but it has not always been that way: Osijek won 4-1 away last May, while Slaven took a 2-1 home win in October 2025.
We Predict: Home Win
The main call is Osijek to win at 2.00, with a 56% model probability and a likely 2-1 scoreline. The draw has obvious appeal given the recent goalless head-to-heads, but Slaven’s depleted squad and Osijek’s home edge tilt this slightly toward the hosts. It does not look like a game full of goals, though, so a narrow Osijek win feels the best fit.
