- The visitors are winless in 5 matches (D3, L2).
- Varazdin have won 1 and lost just 1 of their last 2 home games.
- Lokomotiva are winless in their last 2 away trips to Varazdin.
Lokomotiva can make a point in mid-table showdown
NK Varazdin are the 2.34 favorites to win this weekend’s Croatian top flight clash with NK Lokomotiva Zagreb, which has the visitors at 3.04 and the draw priced at 3.15.
There’s not a fierce rivalry between the sides but the meeting is certainly important to both teams as the 4th-placed hosts have 20 points from 15 matches, one more than Lokomotiva in sixth. The winner of Sunday’s clash will be encouraged to push further up the table while the loser may have to look over their shoulder at the teams below them.
The NK Varazdin vs NK Lokomotiva Zagreb preview adds an extra layer of intrigue, as NK Varazdin have been an oddly consistent team in the HNL 2025-2026 season so far, winning 1, drawing 2 and losing 2 of their last 5 with a solid 1-1 draw at Hajduk Split coming last time out.
Pressure on Lokomotiva to get the goals
Nikola Safaric’s side are a well-organized 4-2-3-1 team that like to stay compact and defend as a unit, looking to hurt opponents on the counterattack and from set pieces. Aleksa Latkovic leads the team’s goal charts with 4 in 15 league games, while Luka Mamic has scored 2 of Varazdin’s last 4.
Lokomotiva Zagreb are an exciting and more positive team under the guidance of Nikica Jelavic, who has led the Green-Whites since July 2025. In our NK Varazdin vs NK Lokomotiva Zagreb prediction, we note that they press with aggression and have given their young and exciting squad license to attack, moving the ball forward with purpose in a 4-3-3 setup.
Aleks Stojakovic has 4 HNL 2025/2026 goals and 2 in the last 4, making him the in-form Lokomotiva attacker heading into this clash. The Green-Whites are on a 3-game winless run so they need to get back on track on Sunday and the NK Varazdin vs NK Lokomotiva Zagreb prediction suggests there’s a chance they can make it 3 consecutive away games against Varazdin without a win.
Expect a tight matchup in Varazdin
Lokomotiva’s away form has been patchy in the 2025-2026 season with just 1 win, 4 draws and 2 defeats in the seven trips to date, conceding an average of 1.71 goals per game on the road.
Backing both teams to score at 1.88 offers a lot of value in this contest but the odds on under 2.5 goals at 1.7 also look tempting in what could be a tense affair.
For those interested in betting, the NK Varazdin vs NK Lokomotiva Zagreb betting tips indicate Lokomotiva will need to press and play at a higher tempo than Varazdin, who are solid at home with 3 wins, 3 draws and just 1 loss. The hosts have conceded just seven goals in seven home games and we see this being a cagey match with a possible chance for the hosts to pounce if they can weather the Lokomotiva pressure.
