Corvinul Hunedoara vs HNK Rijeka Prediction 25.07.2024 | Europa League

• Competition: UEFA Europa League
• Date: Thursday, 25th, July 2024
• Kickoff: 18:00 UK / 19.00 CEST
• Venue: Stadionul Municipal (Sibiu)

Rijeka begins their European campaign on Thursday as they travel to Stadionul Municipal to face Corvinul Hunedoara in the first leg of their Europa League second qualifying round.

The Romanian second-tier side Corvinul, who earned their ticket to the UEFA Europa League by overcoming all obstacles to lift the Romanian Cup trophy last season, delivered a massive shock at the start of their European campaign. Although they were considered complete underdogs in the two-legged clash with the Hungarian outfit, the Ravens made it clear that they should not be underestimated by serving a ruthless elimination of their first-round rival Paks with a 4-2 aggregate victory.

Their next European task comes against the HNK Rijeka side, who endured a frustrating previous campaign on the domestic front, first surrendering the title to fierce rivals Dinamo Zagreb due to a disastrous season finish and then suffering a tough 1-3 aggregate defeat to the same rival in the Croatian Cup final. After making a strong start to their pre-season with three wins from three friendlies, Zeljko Sopic's men showed a weakening form in their subsequent trio of warm-up games, drawing 1-1 with Triglav following back-to-back shutout losses to Karlsruhe and Salzburg.

Corvinul Hunedoara vs HNK Rijeka Betting Tips: UNDER 2.5

Right now, neither team stands out in terms of confidence and form, so we envision a closely-contested battle between the two Balkan clubs where goals might be scarce. Since the start of their summer preparations for the new 2024-25 campaign, Corvinul has found themselves on the losing end in four out of their five matches, including a 0-2 defeat to Paks in the second leg, which wasn’t damaging for them as they advanced with a 4-2 aggregate score. The four-goal rout of the Hungarian team in the first leg appears to be a rare moment when the Ravens' attack truly shone, as they had previously failed to make an impact on the scoreboard in their four aforementioned losses. 

However, one thing that might reassure the Thursday hosts is that HNK Rijeka’s goal-scoring production has significantly declined recently, as they have found the net only once in their last three friendlies. Furthermore, Rijeka have remained scoreless in three of their last four away matches across all competitions, but with a significantly stronger team on paper, we believe the Croatian side might edge out with a lone goal. Overall, we anticipate a tense battle with plenty of interruptions and a slower pace, which makes us doubt that the fans will witness the kind of attractive football from both sides that has recently been affected by a drought in front of the goal.