- HNK Rijeka are winless in 5 matches (D3, L2), losing 3-2 at relegation strugglers Vukovar 91 and drawing 0-0 at home to NK Istra 1961 in their last 2 games.
- NK Gorica are 5th (11 points) after 8 games in HNL 2025/2026, 4 points and 4 places above Rijeka (7 points).
- NK Gorica have a mixed home record in HNL 2025/2026 (W1, L1) but have managed to score 1.00 goals per game on average at home.
Low-scoring contest likely in game of styles
HNK Rijeka have had a disappointing season so far and currently sit 9th in the table, four places below their opponents on Sunday, NK Gorica. The visitors, who are slight favorites with the bookmakers at 2.22, have won 4 of the last 5 head-to-heads in HNL competition, with Gorica winning none.
However, this NK Gorica vs HNK Rijeka prediction suggests that Gorica have been much more consistent than Rijeka this season and Mario Carević’s men have performed well at times, winning 2 and losing 3 of their last 5 matches. They come into Sunday’s game on the back of a 2-game losing streak, most recently against Osijek, but their only win in the past month was a 2-1 victory at home to Slaven.
Gorica’s overall home form has been solid with 1 win and 1 defeat and they have averaged 1.00 goals scored and 1.00 goals conceded per match. At the other end of the pitch, Filip Cuic has been Gorica’s main goal threat with 2 goals in 8 HNL 2025/2026 games.
Rijeka to test Gorica’s defensive shape
Rijeka have been unconvincing on the road so far this term, failing to win any of their 3 away matches in HNL 2025/2026 (D2, L1) but scoring 4 goals in total. The Black & Whites are more dangerous than their overall form suggests and Toni Fruk has been in good form for the club with 2 goals in 8 HNL 2025/2026 matches.
The NK Gorica vs HNK Rijeka preview shows that the new boss is slowly introducing a more structured, positional game to Rijeka with greater width, higher tempo and quicker transitions. They will look to pull the hosts out of their positions with wide overloads and high pressing in the middle third.
Gorica typically set up in a low-to-mid block with lots of depth, preferring to hold compact shapes and pick their spots when pressing than to try and maintain possession for long periods. This stylistic contrast will be fascinating to watch on Sunday, with the half-spaces and the discipline of each team in their respective pressing and defensive phases likely to be key.
The NK Gorica vs HNK Rijeka betting tips highlight that Rijeka are favourites to beat Gorica at 2.22, but 3.3 on the home side and 3.1 for a draw look like good value, with Rijeka largely turning their dominance in this fixture into points and Gorica proving more resilient at home than their price suggests.
However, the Under 2.5 goals market at 1.63 is our main selection for this game given Carević’s natural conservatism and both teams’ inability to put teams away consistently this campaign. In addition, our NK Gorica vs HNK Rijeka prediction leans towards a tightly contested match with few goals expected.
