Istra 1961 vs Lokomotiva Zagreb preview

Croatia flag 2026/2027 1. HNL, Croatia
Stadion Aldo Drosina Today - 4:30 PM
1. HNL
Istra 1961 Istra 1961
Lokomotiva Zagreb LOK
KICKOFF : Today - 4:30 PM
Round 1 Regular Season

CONTEXT

Istra 1961 welcome Lokomotiva Zagreb to Stadion Aldo Drosina for a 1. HNL regular season fixture in the 2026/2027 campaign. The hosts currently occupy fourth position in the domestic standings while the visitors sit one place below in fifth. Power ratings place the away side marginally ahead with a score of 68.68 compared to 67.98 for Istra 1961, giving Lokomotiva Zagreb an edge of 0.7 points and marking them as the stronger team on paper. Both clubs lack recent form records and last outing details, leaving their immediate momentum unclear ahead of kickoff. Set piece metrics carry low confidence and rely on proxy calculations for both sides, with no detailed xG breakdowns available. The encounter promises a tight contest between two mid-table sides seeking to improve their standing in the league table.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Istra 1961 occupy fourth place domestically while Lokomotiva Zagreb sit fifth.
  • Form: Both teams enter without recorded form scores or recent outing data.
  • Squad: Lokomotiva Zagreb hold a narrow power advantage of 0.7 points over Istra 1961.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency metrics remain unavailable for this fixture.
  • Transition: Transition metrics show no available data for either side.
  • Set pieces: Set piece analysis uses proxy data with low confidence for both teams.
  • xVariable: Expected goal variables display no available figures for the match.
  • Market: Istra 1961 0% (Δ+0%) | Draw 0% (Δ+0%) | Lokomotiva Zagreb 0% (Δ+0%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
Istra 1961 Istra 1961
Istra 1961
VS
Lokomotiva Zagreb N. Jelavić
N. Jelavić
0.81
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
1.31
1.17 i
Last 6 Opponents
Varaždin Rank: 71 L
Rijeka Rank: 76 D
Osijek Rank: 67 W
Slaven Koprivnica Rank: 66 W
Gorica Rank: 67 L
Dinamo Zagreb Rank: 85 L
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
1.17 i
Last 6 Opponents
Dinamo Zagreb Rank: 85 D
Hajduk Split Rank: 77 D
Varaždin Rank: 71 D
Rijeka Rank: 76 L
Osijek Rank: 67 D
Slaven Koprivnica Rank: 66 W
3
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
3 - 3 - 2
2
No sidelined player data available.

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
67.98
68.68
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Istra 1961
Lokomotiva Zagreb
Power Score
67.98
68.68
League Position
4
5
Global Rank
391
372

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
Istra 1961 — Opponent-weighted form score
Lokomotiva Zagreb — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Istra 1961 Lokomotiva Zagreb

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 8 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

Istra 1961 Istra 1961 Home
8 matches
Lokomotiva Zagreb LOK Away
Match Record
3
Wins
2
3
Draws
3
2
Losses
3
Goals
10
Goals Scored
11
11
Goals Conceded
10
-1
Goal Difference
+1
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-08-01T00:04:44+00:00

STARTING XI - EXPECTED

Match Formation 4-2-3-1
Match Formation 4-2-3-1
Pitch
F. Kolić
1 F. Kolić
R. Hrvatin
44 R. Hrvatin
M. Nasraoui
3 M. Nasraoui
R. Kumar
38 R. Kumar
N. Šepić
13 N. Šepić
G. Albarracín
25 G. Albarracín
M. Kablar
15 M. Kablar
E. Frederiksen
17 E. Frederiksen
I. Šaranić
11 I. Šaranić
N. Skafar Zuzic
30 N. Skafar Zuzic
H. Jaganjac
9 H. Jaganjac
J. Posavec
12 J. Posavec
K. Cabrajic
25 K. Cabrajic
T. Jukić
5 T. Jukić
T. Triantafyllou
4 T. Triantafyllou
M. Vešović
23 M. Vešović
M. Subotic
10 M. Subotic
I. Katić
24 I. Katić
M. Šušak
11 M. Šušak
L. Belcar
28 L. Belcar
D. Vuković
30 D. Vuković
J. Vasilj
29 J. Vasilj

General Information

Date & Time
Aug 01, 2026, 04:30 PM
Competition
2026/2027 1. HNL, Croatia · Round 1 · Regular Season
Stadium
Stadion Aldo Drosina
Capacity
9800
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair
Referees
Patrik Pavlešić
Bojan Zobenica
Filip Krznarić
Ivana Martinčić

Expected Lineup

Referee : Patrik Pavlešić

Starting XI ▼

1
Franko Kolic
Franko Kolic Goalkeeper
6.94
9
Hamza Jaganjac
Hamza Jaganjac Centre Forward
6.5
44
R. Hrvatin
R. Hrvatin Right Back
6.47
15
Matija Kablar
Matija Kablar Defensive Midfield
3
Mohamed Nasraoui
Mohamed Nasraoui Right Back
6.95
13
Niko Šepić
Niko Šepić Left Back
6.62
17
Emil Frederiksen
Emil Frederiksen Right Wing
6.92
25
Gustavo Albarracín
Gustavo Albarracín Defensive Midfield
6.34
30
Nik Skafar Zuzic
Nik Skafar Zuzic Left Wing
6.53
38
Raul Kumar
Raul Kumar Left Back
6.79
11
Ivan Saranic
Ivan Saranic Attacking Midfield
Referee : Patrik Pavlešić

Starting XI ▼

12
Josip Posavec
Josip Posavec Goalkeeper
6.7
29
Jakov-Anton Vasilj
Jakov-Anton Vasilj Centre Forward
6.68
28
Leon Belcar
Leon Belcar Attacking Midfield
6.73
10
Matija Subotic
Matija Subotic Defensive Midfield
6.65
11
Mirko Susak
Mirko Susak Left Wing
6.65
23
Marko Vesovic
Marko Vesovic Right Back
6.82
25
Kristijan Cabrajic
Kristijan Cabrajic Left Back
6.43
4
Athanasios Triantafyllou
Athanasios Triantafyllou Right Back
6.73
5
Tino Jukic
Tino Jukic Left Back
6.77
24
Ivan Katic
Ivan Katic Defensive Midfield
6.51
30
Dušan Vuković
Dušan Vuković Right Wing
6.6

CONCLUSION

Lokomotiva Zagreb arrive as the slightly stronger side according to power metrics yet the narrow margin suggests a competitive affair at Stadion Aldo Drosina. Istra 1961 will look to leverage home advantage and their higher league position to secure a positive result. With limited recent form information available the match may hinge on individual quality and tactical execution on the day. Both teams face challenges in set piece situations due to the reliance on proxy data. The fixture offers an opportunity for either side to gain ground in the 1. HNL table during this regular season encounter.