Hajduk and Istra 1961 meet on Saturday, 9 August 2026, at Poljud Stadium as part of the second round of the SuperSport HNL. This fixture is the final match of the second round of the Croatian football championship and will kick off at 21:00.
Both sides enter this clash without any points, having suffered defeats in the opening round. Hajduk lost to Varaždin in their season opener, while Istra 1961 were beaten by Lokomotiva. They now have the opportunity to recover and secure their first points of the new season.
For Hajduk, this is a crucial match in the context of European commitments, as it is played between two legs of the third qualifying round of the Conference League against Lithuanian side Žalgiris. In the first encounter, Hajduk won convincingly 5-2 away, giving them an advantage ahead of the return leg.
The match will be officiated by head referee Mateo Erceg from Benkovac. His assistants are Stipe Brajković from Šibenik and Ante Podnar from Gospić, with Filip Dragašević from Zagreb as the fourth official. Ivan Matić from Osijek and Dario Kulušić from Šibenik are responsible for VAR technology.
Istra 1961 manager Javier Cabello is likely to start with the same lineup that played in the first round: Kolić; Šepić, Miettinen, Nasraoui, Hrvatin; Albaraccin, Doumbia; Škafar, Žužić, Frederiksen, Šaranić; Jaganjac. On the other hand, Gonzalo Garcia predicts the following lineup for Hajduk: Silić; Hrgović, Van Hoorenbeeck, Marešić, Hodak; Sigur, Pajaziti, Pukštas; Šotiček, Bamba, Šego.
Football enthusiasts wishing to follow this clash can watch the match on the MaxSport 1 channel.
