Derbies of the Week: Croatia's Eternal Derby & The Chilean Superclasico

The derbies this week include a ferocious tie in Croatia, the biggest game in Chilean football and a re-emerging rivalry in Israel. Here's some information on these cracking games to keep an eye on this weekend...

Hajduk Split vs Dinamo Zagreb

14/03/2015 14:00

Stadion Poljud, Split, Croatia

Dinamo Zagreb featured in our derby day summary last weekend as half of the imbalanced intracity contest between NK Zagreb and themselves – this weekend, however, Dinamo play out what is known in Croatia as the ‘eternal derby’ with rivals Hajduk Split. The country’s two most successful sides have a rich history of ferocious encounters.

Universidad de Chile vs Colo Colo

14/03/2015 15:30

Estadio Nacional, Santiago de Chile, Chile

Whilst Colo-Colo (who’s idiosyncratic name comes from the eponymous chief who fought the Spanish in the 16th Century) are indisputably ahead of Universidad in League and Cup performances this derby, like many others like it, is notoriously unpredictable - and to the Chileans, of great signficance. So significant, in fact, that Ivan Zamarano, the Chilean striker who played in derby matches for the likes of Inter and Real Madrid, said it was “without doubt, the most important” of his career.

Maccabi Haifa vs Hapoel Haifa

14/03/2015 18:30

Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, Israel

The sting has been missing slightly from this all-Haifan derby as Hapoel have spent the last few years of a volatile spell – which saw them go from relegation in 1990/91 to winning the league in 1997/1998, only to be relegated again in 2002/03 – in the second division. They are on the resurgence, however, and will be looking to claim an important scalp on Saturday against their bitter rivals Maccabi, a club with an incredibly passionate and politically radical ultra fan base.