Preview: Hajduk Split vs Zilina - prediction, team news, lineups

Hajduk Split begin their 2026-27 Europa League qualification campaign with a first-round clash against Zilina at Stadion Poljud on Thursday night.

These two teams meet for the first time since 2009 when Zilina secured a 2-1 aggregate win in the third qualifying round for the Europa League.

Match preview

Once quarter-finalists in the 1994-95 Champions League, Hajduk Split have not competed in any form of European competition since 2010-11 when they played in the Europa League group stage.

The Whites came up short in the third qualifying round of the Conference League in each of the last three seasons, while they also finished second in Croatia’s Hrvatska nogometna liga in the 2025-26 campaign, 18 points behind champions Dinamo Zagreb.

Head coach Gonzalo Garcia has since overseen a positive pre-season with his team winning all three friendly matches without reply, including a convincing 4-0 victory over Skendija from North Macedonia at the end of last month.

Back-to-back 1-0 wins against Ukrainian outfit LNZ and Slovenian champion Celje soon followed for Hajduk Split, who announced on Tuesday that Ivan Rakitic has left the club as technical director and will become an ambassador, representing the club in Croatia and abroad.

Hajduk Split head into Thursday’s contest having won five of their eight competitive home games in 2026, while their opponents Zilina have only prevailed in two of their last nine away matches in the same period.

Zilina have never qualified for the Europa League before, but they did participate in the 2008-09 UEFA Cup group stage, while their last European outing was - like Hajduk Split - in 2010-11 when they lost every game in a Champions League group containing Chelsea, Marseille and Spartak Moscow.

The Yellow-Greens are seven-time Slovakian top-flight champions who had to settle for a fourth-placed finish last season, 16 points behind champions Slovan Bratislava. However, they did win the Slovakian Cup for just the second time in their history to enter the Europa League qualifiers.

Pavol Stano’s side enter Thursday’s first-leg clash with Hajduk Split following a winless four-game pre-season, losing 2-0 to Dynamo Kiev and drawing three matches, including a 2-2 draw with Czech outfit FK Pardubice on July 1.

Hajduk Split form (all competitions):

Zilina form (all competitions):

Team News

Hajduk Split will have to cope without Abdoulie Sanyang, who received a red card in the final match of their previous European campaign.

However, centre-back Alec Van Hoorenbeeck, right-back Mathieu Acapandie, central midfielder Alberto del Moral and attacker Dalisson are four new signings all in contention to feature on Thursday.

Michele Sego ended last season as the club’s top scorer with 13 goals and he is likely to start in the final third along with Roko Brajkovic and Marko Livaja.

As for Zilina, summer signing David Sipos could be handed a start between the sticks, but he faces competition from fellow goalkeeper Jakub Badzgon.

Stano will likely stick with a 3-4-3 formation which could see Michal Fasko, Marko Roginic and Samuel Datko all start in a three-man frontline – the trio netted 37 goals between them last season.

Hajduk Split possible starting lineup:

Ivusic; Acapandie, Van Hoorenbeeck, Maresic, Hrgovic; Guillamon, Pajaziti, Del Moral; Brajkovic, Livaja, Sego

Zilina possible starting lineup:

Badzgon; Paliscak, Kasa, Narimanidze; Hranica, Adang, Kacer, Bari; Fasko, Roginic, Kosa

We say: Hajduk Split 3-1 Zilina

While the prospect of Zilina frustrating Hajduk Split cannot be entirely ruled out, the hosts will be regarded as favourites and should have a strong enough squad to prevail, taking a crucial first-leg advantage into next week’s clash in Slovakia.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.