'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUG/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABP/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAzMwcn//EAB8QAAIBAwUBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwAEEQUTIjLRQf/aAAgBAQABPwC12UgWZLaOV3TkCqlcEE/fKfXIkdkfspwcKPK//8QAFBEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/aAAgBAgEBPwB//8QAGBEAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIBAxH/2gAIAQMBAT8ASuGXT//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A place in the UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round will be on the line on Wednesday when Hajduk Split and Zira lock horns at the Poljud Stadium. Both sides played out a 1-1 draw in last week’s reverse leg in Azerbaijan and must now show their mettle as they continue their hunt for European qualification.
Hajduk Split needed a 68th-minute strike from Austrian midfielder Anthony Kalik to salvage a 1-1 draw against Zira in the first leg of their Conference League second qualifying round tie last Thursday.
This followed an impressive pre-season campaign, where Gonzalo Garcia’s men picked up four wins from their first four warm-up matches before losing 2-1 against LASK in their final friendly on July 18.
Hajduk Split will now look to get the job done on Thursday and keep their morale high ahead of their 2025-26 Croatian HNL curtain-raiser against Istra on August 3.
Trending
With last week’s first-leg result, Zira have now gone eight straight competitive games without defeat, picking up six wins and two draws since losing 1-0 against Qarabag in the Azerbaijan Premier League on April 6.
Rashad Sadygov’s side were involved in just one pre-season fixture, which came on June 30, when they fell to a 4-0 hammering at the hands of fellow league side Qarabag.
Zira secured Conference League qualifying berth after a solid 2024-25 league campaign as they clinched second place in the table with 74 points, 16 more than third-placed Araz, from 36 matches.
Hajduk Split vs Zira Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be just the second encounter between Hajduk Split and Zira, with both sides settling for a 1-1 draw when they first met in last week’s first leg.
- Zira are uneaten in 12 of their last 13 competitive matches, claiming nine wins and three draws since April’s 1-0 loss against Qarabag.
- Hajduk Split have lost just one of their last nine games across all competitions while picking up six wins and two draws since May 11.
- Zira have won each of their most recent four competitive away matches and are unbeaten in seven of their last eight on the road, claiming six wins and one draw since mid February.
Hajduk Split vs Zira Prediction
Given the stakes of Thursday’s tie, we expect Hajduk Split and Zira to take the game to each other at the Poljud Stadium as they look to reach the third qualifying round.
While Zira have been tough to crack on the road, Garcia’s men boast a superior and more experienced squad on paper, and we are tipping them to get the job done in front of their home crowd.
Prediction: Hajduk Split 2-0 Zira
Hajduk Split vs Zira Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Hajduk Split to win
Tip 2: Over 4.5 cards - No (There have been fewer than five bookings in Hajduk Split’s last nine games)
Tip 3: Over 2.5 goals - No (There have been fewer than three goals scored in five of the hosts’ last seven matches)
