- NK Istra 1961 Pula is in poor form, losing four and drawing one of their last five.
- NK Istra 1961 Pula has won two and drawn one of the last three meetings between these sides.
- NK Osijek has failed to win in their last two away trips to NK Istra 1961 Pula.
Tempo battle expected when Osijek visit Istra
The NK Istra 1961 Pula vs NK Osijek prediction becomes interesting as NK Istra 1961 Pula are having a better HNL 2025/2026 campaign than NK Osijek, and Oriol Riera’s side have a superior recent record in this matchup.
Istra sit in sixth with 30 points from 24 games compared to Osijek’s ninth with 20 points from the same amount of games. They come into this match in poor form, having lost four and drawn one of their last five, but Osijek haven’t been much better, with two wins and three defeats in their last five.
The last meeting, a 5-1 victory for Istra away to Osijek, could still be on the minds of the visitors as new manager Tomislav Radotic looks to steady the ship of NK Osijek.
Istra’s wide players could profit
Radotic took charge of Osijek in February 2026 and has been trying to inculcate a more controlled, methodical approach to the game. Osijek will look to build from the back, progress in an ordered manner and break down the opposing defence with vertical passes and through balls.
Istra will look to get at Osijek with their tempo and pace. Riera has been in charge since September 2025 and has an energetic side that presses the ball at a high tempo and tries to win it back quickly to transition into attack. Wide areas are particularly well exploited and can lead to swift attacks against the slower Osijek defenders.
For those seeking NK Istra 1961 Pula vs NK Osijek betting tips, Smail Prevljak, Istra’s top man, has scored ten goals in 21 HNL 2025/2026 games, including two of their last three. Osijek’s Nail Omerovic is their top man with six in 23, but Samuel Akere has looked in good form recently, scoring two of Osijek’s last five.
Istra could edge it
Osijek have only one win, three draws and seven defeats in their 11 away games in HNL 2025/2026, conceding 1.82 per match, while Istra have won four, drawn four and lost three at home, scoring 1.09 and conceding 1.27 per match.
According to our NK Istra 1961 Pula vs NK Osijek preview, it looks like this is a game Istra could win, but Osijek will have something to say and could nick a goal. The odds on an NK Istra 1961 Pula vs NK Osijek prediction for an Istra win at 2.61 are quite appealing, but there’s plenty of reason to expect both sides to score and for this game to have several goals, so I’m going for Over 2.5 goals at 2.12 and Both teams to score (Yes) at 1.82.
