Coming down to the final day of action, Rijeka, Dinamo and Hajduk all find themselves battling it out for the HNL Championship.
With just one title previously under their belt, Rijeka are best placed and have destiny in their own hands, able to be crowned Champions with a win against Slaven Belupo.
If Rijeka fails to win, a variety of combinations could see any of the three sides take out the title.
Finishing with the most points would see the dominant Dinamo Zagreb win 19 out of the last 20 league titles, while Hajduk Split will need a miracle to break their 20-year HNL drought.
Below details all the possible combinations in the HNL’s final day of action that would see Rijeka, Dinamo and Hajduk respectively take out the Championship.
HNL Round 36 Final Day Fixtures: (all games kick-off on Monday, May 26, at 1 AM AEST)
- Rijeka vs Slaven Belupo
- Dinamo vs Varaždin
- Šibenik vs Hajduk Split
Scenarios that win Rijeka the Title:
- A win over Slaven Belupo secures the Championship no matter what.
- A draw can work if Dinamo also does not win.
- A loss can even work, but requires Dinamo to lose and Hajduk not to win.
Rijeka have the most favourable scenario of the trio. Ensuring they at least match the result of Dinamo is vital in taking out the Title in a truly historic race.
Scenarios that win Dinamo the Title:
- A win over Varaždin works, but Rijeka cannot win.
- A draw will only work if Rijeka loses and Hajduk does not win.
Dinamo simply need to hope Rijeka drop points, and make sure to better that result. As both Rijeka and Hajduk hold head-to-head advantages, Dinamo simply need to win on outright points to lift their 26th HNL Championship.
Scenarios that win Hajduk the Title:
- A win over Šibenik, while Rijeka and Dinamo both lose.
- A win, while both Rijeka AND Dinamo draw.
- A win, with Dinamo drawing and Rijeka losing.
Hajduk simply must win, and win they should against already-relegated Šibenik. Along with this, dropped points for both the top two sides is a must.
While Hajduk holds head-to-head advantages over Dinamo and both the top two in a three-way tie, Rijeka interestingly beat out Hajduk in a direct head-to-head, meaning they would need Dinamo to also draw if Rijeka takes a point against Slaven.