Ilves v HNK Rijeka — prediction, stats and goal analysis

Conference League · Thursday, 13 August 2026 · 17:00. Final score 1–1 (half-time 0–0). We made no pick on this game before kick-off; our pre-match rating was 50% for over 2.5 goals.

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Our ratings for this match

MarketYesNoOur call
Over 2.5 goals50%50%no pick
Over 3.5 goals32%68%no pick
Both teams to score48%52%no pick

The result model puts Ilves at 52%, the draw at 24% and HNK Rijeka at 24%, from expected goals of 1.65 and 1.04.

How we got this number

The league sets the starting point. Conference League has produced over 2.5 goals in 53% of its matches, and that is where a team with no record of its own would sit.

Each side's own record. Ilves have 12 in 19 this season (4 of 9 at home), HNK Rijeka 1 in 1. Those records are pulled toward the league rate with the weight of about 32 matches — enough that two or three unusual games cannot swing a rating — giving 55% and 55%.

Last season still counts, briefly. With 19 and 1 games played this season, last season's rates are still blended in and fade out entirely by game 14 — the point at which our testing showed they stop adding accuracy. That moves the two figures to 55% and 43%.

The mix. Weighted 40% home side, 40% away side and 20% league — the split that beat every alternative across 30,582 matches of testing — that gives 50%.

Goal expectation. Separately a Poisson model built from attack and defence strength — using real expected-goals data where the league has it — puts this match at 51%, from expected goals of 1.65 for Ilves and 1.04 for HNK Rijeka. Folding in 30% of that view gives 50%.

This breakdown is generated from the same inputs the rating uses, so it cannot describe a calculation we did not perform. The full model is set out in the methodology.

Season form

TeamGamesO2.5O3.5BTTS
Ilves1963%53%58%
HNK Rijeka1100%0%100%

Head to head

6 Aug 26HNK Rijeka 1–0 IlvesU2.5

Things worth knowing

More: Conference League table and form. Ratings are calibrated probabilities, not tips — a 60% call is expected to miss two times in five.