July 29, 2020 – Just 20 days after the end of the 2019/20 season, the new Croatian First League (HNL) season will begin.
On Wednesday, in the presence of all clubs and the commissioner for the competition Josip Brezni, the draw of the competing pairs of the Croatian First League for the 2020/21 season was held, which determined the schedule of matches in the 30th Croatian Championship, which will begin on Friday, August 14.
The draw determined that the champion Dinamo and runner-up Lokomotiva will meet in the 1st round, while the other pairs of the 1st round are Osijek – Slaven Belupo, Hajduk – Istra 1961 / Orijent, Rijeka – Sibenik and Varazdin – Gorica.
The Championship will end on May 15, 2021, when Slaven Belupo – Varazdin, Rijeka – Gorica, Dinamo – Sibenik, Hajduk – Lokomotiva and Osijek – Istra 1961 / Orient will meet.
The biggest derby is scheduled for the 4th round, on September 12, when Hajduk welcomes Dinamo. The Adriatic derby between Hajduk and Rijeka is scheduled for the 5th round at Rujevica. One round later, Rijeka travels to Dinamo as guests.
The potential Rijeka city derby, if the Orient qualifies for the First League, will be played in the 3rd round. Osijek is facing a demanding schedule at the start, playing in the 2nd round against Hajduk, in the 3rd against Dinamo, and the 4th against Rijeka.
The last Championship, which was suspended for almost three months due to the coronavirus pandemic, ended only on July 25, and the Cup final between Rijeka and Lokomotiva is set for August 1 in Sibenik. The qualification playoff for the Croatian First League between Orient and Istra 1961 is still to be played. The first match will be played in Rijeka on August 2, and the return match will be in Pula on August 5.
You can read more about the Croatian First League here.
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