Conference League, Qualification, 2nd Round, Second Leg, Thursday, 07/31/2025, 9:00 p.m.
Here we go again in the Conference League! The third-highest UEFA competition is now in its fifth edition, with previous winners coming from England, Greece, and Italy. A Croatian finalist? That would be something.
Of course, we’re not quite there yet, with the second qualifying round coming to an end this week. In my opinion, Croatia’s representative will make it through.
I’ll tell you why in my Hajduk Split Zira tip!
International group stages? No chance! Hajduk Split is eager to finally make a splash in Europe again, as its quarter-final appearance in the 1994/95 Champions League is firmly anchored in history.
Since the Conference League was created, Split has been trying to qualify. Once in the second round, twice in the third round, once in the qualifying round, but their performances have not been particularly successful.
In the last two years, the first leg of the final round ended in a draw before the end – and this time it could be the same. Hajduk could not get past a 1-1 draw against Zira in the first match.
In a rather uneventful encounter, neither side wanted to take the initiative, but Anthony Kalik managed to equalize for Split in the 68th minute. This result leaves everything open for the second leg.
So what has already gone differently from 2023 and 2024? A goal was scored in the first leg. Back then, there were no goals in either the first or second match.
A goal is also needed on Thursday, with a 1-0 win enough to see them through. Interestingly, the bookmakers seem to have a lot of faith in the Croatians. If we bet on “Over 1.5 goals,” Betano only gives us odds of 1.53.
Coach Gonzalo Garcia, who is new to the sidelines in Split, will know that his team is the clear favorite going into the second leg of this second round. How does that translate into odds?
Quite simply, for a win after 90 minutes, we are being offered average odds of 1.35 to 8.25. So it’s already clear that simply betting on Hajduk to progress is hardly a profitable proposition.
1.15 to 4.80, it’s obvious who the favorite and who the underdog is here. This will be Hajduk’s second time facing a club from Azerbaijan, which is of course due to their limited international appearances in recent years.
Is it easier to focus on Zira FK, the opponent? Admittedly, I first had to orient myself geographically to find out that we are looking at Azerbaijan here.
And, as you can probably guess, there won’t be a team on the other side of the pitch on Thursday that is particularly familiar with international matches.
Zira appeared in qualifying for the first time in 2017/18, and now they are aiming to qualify for the Conference League for the third time – no, they have never managed it before.
A third round would not be the greatest success outside the national league. The 1-1 draw against Hajduk Split in the first leg was a respectable result, but of course the players know that they now have to survive in a cauldron in Croatia.
Last year, Zira fought its way into the playoffs. The team had to face Dunajska, NK Osijek, and Omonia Nikosia. Interestingly, only one of the three away games was won, and that was only by a narrow margin.
Omonia Nikosia was ultimately the end of the road. After a 0-6 defeat in the first leg, the game was over, and the subsequent 1-0 win didn’t help much. Nevertheless, there could be a good omen in store, because Zira knocked Osijek, another Croatian team, out of the competition in 2024/25!
Hajduk Split against FK Zira? No, this match is not one of the absolute highlights of international soccer. But that shouldn’t detract from the excitement when the two teams meet on Thursday.
After the 1-1 draw in the first leg, it’s not easy to pick a favorite, but based on the higher individual quality and home advantage, I’ve decided to go for a home win.
Since there weren’t any major offensive breakthroughs in the first match, I don’t think things will suddenly change now. So my prediction is:
Split will win by a maximum of four goals!
