Hajduk's Opponent Sinks to the Bottom, Rijeka's Draws
Rakow suffered their third defeat in four rounds of the Polish league ahead of their clash with Hajduk at Poljud, while Midtjylland picked up a point in Denmark.
Rakow suffered their third defeat in four rounds of the Polish league ahead of their clash with Hajduk at Poljud, while Midtjylland picked up a point in Denmark.
Rakow, Hajduk's opponent in the Conference League play-offs, suffered another defeat in the Polish Ekstraklasa. On Sunday evening, August 16, 2026, they lost 2:1 away to Cracovia in the fourth round.
Rakow led 1:0 at halftime thanks to a goal from Patryk Makuch, assisted by former Dinamo player Mahir Emreli. The visitors held their advantage until the 56th minute when Ajdin Hasić equalized to make it 1:1. Hasić initially missed a penalty but scored on the rebound.
The comeback was completed in the 75th minute when Dominik Pile scored for the final 2:1. For Cracovia, former Dinamo player Mauro Perković played the entire match, while Fran Tudor and Marko Bulat, both former HNL players, were not in Rakow's squad. Tudor was absent due to injury, and Bulat was dropped from the first team for disciplinary reasons.
With this defeat, Rakow remain at the bottom of the Polish Ekstraklasa and are the only team without a win in the four rounds played so far. A mitigating factor for the club from Czestochowa is that they have played only three matches, while some rivals have already played four.
The first leg of the Conference League play-off between Hajduk and Rakow will be played on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at Poljud, starting at 9 PM. The return leg is scheduled a week later, on August 27, 2026, in Czestochowa, starting at 7 PM.
Rijeka's opponent in the same competition, Danish side Midtjylland, drew 1-1 away to Lyngby in the fourth round of the Danish championship, as reported by HRT. This shows that Rijeka's rivals are also not in the best form ahead of their European clashes.
