- Gorica’s main goalscoring threat so far this season is Filip Cuic (2 goals in 6 HNL games).
- Adriano Jagusic has been a creative force for Slaven Belupo, setting up 3 goals in 6 HNL matches.
- Slaven Belupo have won 3 of the last 4 H2H meetings, most recently beating Gorica 4-0 at home 4 months ago.
Two contrasting styles will meet in Sunday’s mid-table matchup
Slaven Belupo will be slight favorites with the bookmakers to beat Gorica on Sunday, but the hosts will be coming off the back of a massive 2-1 away win against Dinamo Zagreb, a result which could send the momentum their way. The NK Gorica vs NK Slaven Belupo prediction is expected to reflect this momentum shift and provide insight into the likely outcome.
This game will be a good test of the different tactical philosophies of Mario Carevic, Gorica’s coach, and Mario Gregurina, his counterpart at Slaven Belupo. Gorica are a pragmatic side which sets up with a compact, low block, prioritising a team shape, solid defensive stability and lightning-quick counter attacks. Slaven Belupo, however, are more of a high-energy side who like to play at a higher tempo, with plenty of the ball, pushing numbers up in possession and pressuring the opposition to concede turnovers, with their creativity shining when they can get wide.
This NK Gorica vs NK Slaven Belupo preview will focus on the mixed away record for the visitors in the HNL 2025/2026 campaign so far, winning once and losing twice from their 3 games away. In this fixture, the average goals per game for Slaven Belupo is 2.00, while Gorica average just 1.0, suggesting that the away side will indeed carry more of a goal threat.
Jagusic and Mitrovic can combine to win it for the visitor’s
Both sides have had inconsistent results over the past month or so (W2, D1, L2 for Gorica, and W3, D1, L1 for Slaven), but the latter have come into this clash on the back of consecutive wins, including a 2-1 success over NK Istra 1961 last time out. With 9 points from 6 games, Slaven Belupo are 3rd in the table, one place and one point above Gorica who have 8 points from the same number of matches.
Josip Mitrovic has been in red-hot form for Slaven, netting 3 goals in 6 HNL appearances, a return that accounts for almost half of the team’s goals in their last 4 games. Gregurina’s side should fancy their chances of victory considering their recent run of 3 wins from 5 and the dominance of this away H2H, but we’re going to avoid the favorites in the result markets and instead take Both Teams to Score. This NK Gorica vs NK Slaven Belupo prediction is further supported by Gorica’s counter attacking style, which will make them a threat on the break and Slaven will leave plenty of space in behind, while the recent dominance of the head-to-head record, and the fact that the odds make the visiting team narrow favorites at 1.88, means we’re taking them to squeak out a tactical victory. For those seeking our NK Gorica vs NK Slaven Belupo betting tips, Both Teams to Score looks like an attractive selection this weekend.
