CFL: Monday, March 7th - Pick

CFL: RNK Split – Istra OVER 2,25 GOALS

(2,00 @SBO, 1,97@Pinnacle)

Players of RNK Split were on a strike on Saturday as some of them didn't get their salaries. But, coach Goran Sablic is satisfied – as they prooved they „breathe as one“. They were training normally on Sunday, and they have important match tonight, if they want to reach 4th place at the end of the season, which would lead them to Europa League Qualifiers – if they win, they'll reach Lokomotiva, who already has 39 points. Split's results at the first glance this spring are not good. But, we have to know that in the last two matches they lost at Dinamo Zagreb (only 1:0, in which they played defensive minder), and 2:1 at home vs Rijeka – in that match they failed to score from the 11m spot. Round before that, they beat NK Zagreb 1:0, in a match that they failed to score from incredible chances, such as 4 on 1 counter attacks. In the opening match after the break, they shared point at in-form Inter Zapresic (1:1). In this match, they'll play offensively, no doubt about that.

Istra doesn't play good at all – they're without a win for 12 rounds in a row. After the winter break, they won 2 points, both away (0:0 at fellow strugglers Osijek, and 1:1 at the worst team of the league NK Zagreb). In the remaining two matches they lost at home 2:1 vs Inter Zapresic (they were 2:0 benihd at HT) and 1:0 vs Dinamo (who scored in 6th minute and wasn't motivated at all). Istra has as much as 3 suspended players (Tomic, Hadzic and Heister), while Ojdanic is sick – and all of them would be in starting 11, Heister and Ojdanic are standard defensive players. Istra managed to keep only one clean sheet in the last 10 matches, away at Osijek (0:0). When these two clubs played in August in Split, home team won 3:0. Weather in Split will be fine, and I really think this is the match in which Split will finally score 2 or 3 goals in one match.

I think RNK Split is closer to the win here, but their defense – although they have a very good keeper – isn't to secure, and Istra is usually able to score at least a goal at Split's stadium. If we take a look at their 8 H2H matches, we can see that at least 2 goals were scored in each of them.