Hajduk Split welcome Gorica to Poljud on Sunday evening in the HNL, with the hosts chasing the title race from second place and the visitors trying to steady themselves in mid-table. There’s a clear gap between the two in the standings. Hajduk have 56 points and remain firmly in the hunt at the sharp end, while Gorica sit eighth on 32 and are more concerned with protecting their position than dreaming big.
For Hajduk, this is the sort of home game they simply have to take seriously. Gonzalo García’s side have been strong at Poljud all season and the pressure to keep winning is obvious, especially with the league entering its decisive phase. Gorica, under Mario Carević, arrive with nothing to lose in the grand sense, but they’re also carrying the kind of uneven form that tends to get punished in Split. That won't be easy. The hosts have the stronger squad, the better home numbers and, on paper, the cleaner attacking profile.
There’s also a bit of recent edge to this meeting. Gorica beat Hajduk 1-0 in late January, so the visitors know they can frustrate them. But that result sits against a longer run that has leaned heavily towards the Split side, and this time Hajduk come in with momentum after a convincing away win at Istra and a season-long habit of starting quickly at home. You’d expect them to be front-foot from the first whistle.
HNK Hajduk Split Form & Analysis
Hajduk’s last few weeks have had a bit of everything, though the overall picture is still positive. They went to Varaždin at the end of February and came away with a 1-1 draw, then fell 3-2 at Rijeka in the cup on 4 March. That was followed by a 1-3 home loss to Dinamo Zagreb, which was a bruising night, but they responded properly. A 2-1 home win over Lokomotiva on 15 March got them moving again, and then the real statement came on 21 March when they hammered Vukovar 1991 0-6 away from home. Their most recent league outing was another strong away display, a 1-3 win at Istra 1961 on 7 April.
That Istra performance was particularly tidy. Hajduk created 2.08 xG, restricted their hosts to just 0.24 xGA and won the shot count 19-8. They were on top from the start and never really looked in danger. Marko Livaja opened the scoring, Adrion Pajaziti added one, Livaja struck again and Charles Adah Agada finished it off late. It was a proper away-day control job. After the Dinamo setback, that’s exactly what García would’ve wanted to see.
At Poljud, the numbers are even more encouraging. Hajduk’s home record stands at nine wins, two draws and three defeats, with 23 goals scored and only 13 conceded. That’s a strong base, and it explains why they’re sitting so close to the top. They’ve generally been proactive at home, and they’ve got a habit of getting on the front foot early. The one caveat is that they’re not spotless at the back. Dinamo did expose them, and Rijeka have shown they can hurt them too. But over the course of the season, Hajduk have had enough punch in attack to outscore most problems.
There’s a clear pattern to like here. Hajduk have won their last three league matches away from the defeat to Dinamo, and they’ve been scoring with real freedom. They’ve also tended to hit the first goal in these home fixtures, which matters when you’re dealing with a side like Gorica who can become awkward if they’re allowed to settle. At this stage of the season, it’s less about style points and more about grinding down the pressure. Hajduk have done that well enough at Poljud. They should fancy themselves again.
HNK Gorica Form & Analysis
Gorica’s recent sequence tells a more mixed story. They were thumped 3-6 at home by Dinamo Zagreb in the cup on 8 April, which was a wild, ugly evening that exposed plenty of defensive weaknesses. Before that, they drew 1-1 away at Varaždin on 3 April, and before that there was a 4-0 home win over Rijeka on 22 March, which still looks like their best result of the spring. On 14 March they kept Osijek out in a goalless draw away from home, and on 7 March they were held 2-2 by Slaven Belupo. There was also that 1-3 cup win at Varaždin on 4 March. So they’re not hopeless. Far from it. But the highs and lows are pronounced.
What stands out is how capable Gorica are of making a game awkward, then suddenly opening themselves up. They can be compact, they can nick moments, and they’ve shown they’re dangerous when matches get stretched. That 4-0 win over Rijeka wasn’t a fluke. It showed they can punish bigger sides when things click. Still, the 3-6 cup defeat to Dinamo is hard to ignore. Six goals conceded at home is a mess by any standard, and it leaves a lingering question about how they cope when opponents start landing early punches.
Away from home, Gorica’s league record is decent enough but not especially threatening. They’ve picked up 14 points on the road, with three wins, five draws and six defeats, scoring 15 and conceding 20. That’s not the profile of a side you trust to control games in tough venues. They can hang around, sure. But they’re not built to dominate possession or keep pressure off their own box for long spells. On the road, they’ve often had to live off scraps. Sometimes that works. Often it doesn’t.
Their recent form also says they’re not in great shape for a trip like this. They haven’t won either of their last two matches, and after the Dinamo cup collapse, they’ll need to reset quickly. Carević’s side have shown enough resilience to avoid a complete collapse, but you wouldn’t call them reliable. Not against one of the league’s top home teams. If Hajduk start fast, Gorica may end up chasing the game, and that’s usually where they run into trouble.
Head-to-Head
Recent meetings lean Hajduk’s way overall, even if Gorica have had their moments. The most recent clash came on 31 January 2026, when Gorica edged Hajduk 1-0 at home. That result will give the visitors some belief heading into Sunday. They’ve shown they can make life uncomfortable.
Still, the broader pattern favours Split. Hajduk beat Gorica 3-1 away in October 2025 and 2-0 at home in August 2025. Before that, there were more Hajduk wins in the same fixture, including 2-1 at home in March 2025, 4-1 at home in September 2024 and 2-1 at home in May 2024. That’s a strong enough recent record to matter. Gorica have upset them before, but they’ve spent a lot of time chasing this matchup.
We Predict: Home Win
We’re backing HNK Hajduk Split to win at 4/7. The price is short for a reason. Hajduk are second in the table, they’ve got 29 points from 14 home league matches, and they’ve been the more convincing side in the run-up to this one. Gorica have some useful away results in them, but their overall road record isn’t strong enough to make you trust them at Poljud. That 3-6 cup defeat to Dinamo was a reminder of how exposed they can get when a better attacking side turns the screw.
A 2-1 home win feels the likeliest outcome. Hajduk have enough firepower to land the first blow and enough attacking form to keep pushing even if Gorica nick one themselves. The visitors have scored away from home often enough to make BTTS a live alternative, but the cleaner call is simply backing the hosts to take all three points. If you want a side angle, Hajduk to score first is worth a look too. They’ve been doing that with regularity, and in this kind of fixture the opening goal could decide the mood of the whole evening.
