Bosnia and Herzegovina have only qualified for one major tournament as an independent nation, but they’re still likely to be bitterly disappointed if they don’t reach the European Championship finals in Germany next year. The Dragons will have fancied their chances of coming through a group containing the likes of Slovakia, Iceland and Luxembourg, but their hopes of progression hang by a thread with three fixtures remaining.
Savo Milošević’s side did at least boost their chances of finishing in the top two of Group J by beating minnows Liechtenstein 2-0 on Friday, a result that left them four points off second place and knowing a defeat here coupled with a Slovakia victory against Luxembourg will officially end their top-two hopes. They at least have the comfort blanket of knowing they are assured of a play-off spot at worst due to their performance in the UEFA Nations League.
Up next are group leaders Portugal, who have won four of the previous five H2Hs (D1), including a 3-0 victory in June. A slight boost for the home side is that their opponents booked their place in Germany on Friday by beating Slovakia 3-2, so it remains to be seen what Portugal’s remaining motivation is. That maintained their 100% winning record from seven European Championship qualifiers (ECQ) but might mean we see an experimental XI from manager Roberto Martinez here.
It’s been an impressive overall campaign for Portugal, who have scored a whopping 27 goals while conceding just two at the other end. That goes some of the way to making up for their FIFA World Cup quarter-final defeat at the hands of Morocco in Qatar last year, one of just four defeats in their 21 internationals since November 2021 (W16, D1).
Key battle: Bosnia goalkeeper Ibrahim Šehić has only kept two clean sheets in nine ECQs on home soil (W5, D1, L3). He will be attempting to thwart Cristiano Ronaldo, who reached the landmark of 125 international goals on Friday and has helped Portugal to victory in his last nine scoring appearances.
Hot streak: The team that has scored first has gone on to win Bosnia’s last ten internationals.
