- NK Slaven Belupo and NK Gorica are level on 38 points from 33 games in the HNL 2025/2026 campaign, with Gorica currently placed in 7th and Slaven 8th, separated by goal difference.
- Slaven Belupo have won seven of their 16 HNL home games this season, drawing five and losing four.
Mid-table clash in Koprivnica
Slaven will be aiming to extend their advantage against Gorica when they welcome them to Gradski Stadion on Sunday. The Koprivnica club have won three of the last five head-to-head encounters in all competitions, with Gorica victorious once and one game drawn, although their most recent meeting at Gorica’s home ended in a 2-2 thriller.
Gorica and Slaven are separated by just one place in the HNL table, with the difference in their positions being only goal difference. Both are in mixed form, although a run of two wins and three defeats in their last five league games indicates that Gorica are in the better overall form.
While these two sides are both in mid-table and unlikely to feature heavily in any European qualification picture, the NK Slaven Belupo vs NK Gorica preview should still hold some intrigue given Slaven’s recent form and the differing identities that each club has adopted under current coaching staff.
Open contest likely between contrasting styles
Mario Gregurina has stamped his identity on Slaven since July 2025, with his team playing an attacking, high-pressing style that has made them one of the more positive and energetic teams in the league.
Mario Carević’s Gorica are much more compact, with the coach’s ability to adapt and change formation having been crucial to their success since he took charge in October 2024. The visitors are a structured unit, happy to sit deep and create on the counter-attack, but equally capable of suffocating teams by staying compact.
Slaven’s home record makes them a tough bet, but the hosts are in poor form and their chances are not good enough at 2.28 to be worth a wager. Instead, our NK Slaven Belupo vs NK Gorica betting tips highlight that the differing styles of these two teams and the recent head-to-heads, which have both featured goals, should ensure that another thriller is on the cards.
Slaven should win this game but both teams are likely to score and the hosts should be able to edge it; this NK Slaven Belupo vs NK Gorica prediction is supported by their attacking numbers.
Gregurina’s side are averaging 1.5 goals-per-game at home in the HNL this season, having netted 24 times in 16 outings, while Gorica have scored 17 goals in 16 away games. The main NK Slaven Belupo vs NK Gorica prediction for this matchup is a home win with Over 2.5 goals, while Both Teams to Score - Yes also looks likely.
