Croatia HNL: Osijek vs Dinamo Zagreb 02/08/2025

Betting on the Winner

The upcoming weekend marks the start of the Croatian Football League, and this will be the match to kick off the championship. Osijek had a disappointing season last year, finishing only 7th out of 10 teams. In an effort to better prepare for the new campaign, they played a number of friendly matches with decent results.

For Dinamo Zagreb, it’s always been the case that any season without a title is automatically seen as a failure. That was true last season, as they lost the championship due to an inferior head-to-head record against Rijeka. Still, finishing second secured them a direct spot in the Europa League group stage, so until that competition begins, they will be fully focused on the domestic league.

Osijek owes a lot to the Zagreb side after last season. Dinamo lost to them three times, including once in the quarterfinals of the cup. Motivation will definitely not be lacking. While I expect a better league campaign from Osijek compared to last year, I don’t think we’ll see a surprise in the opening round. Croatia’s most successful club should live up to its favorite status at the Opus Arena. The odds are a solid 1.60 and worth taking.