After sealing a spot at UEFA Euro 2024 with a win over Slovakia, Portugal will hit the road to square up against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnia and Herzegovina are still in the race for a place at the European Championships next year, and they are all set to host Portugal on Matchday 8. The visitors have already booked their spot in the finals of Euro 2024 but are still expected to field a strong XI to maintain their winning streak.
Bosnia and Herzegovina are currently fourth in Group J of the UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers. They only have nine points out of their seven outings thanks to three wins and four defeats. The home team are four points behind second-placed Slovakia. And, with just three matches to go, they are in desperate need of a win.
If the home side fail to win against Portugal and Slovakia manage to go past Luxembourg, they won’t be able to finish second in the group. However, they will still stand a chance to qualify having already secured a position in the playoffs due to their UEFA Nations League exploits.
Bosnia are heading into this game on the back of a 2-0 win over Liechtenstein and will be confident of getting the right result here. Meanwhile, Portugal will look to make it eight wins in a row when they take the field against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Cristiano Ronaldo-led team have already qualified for the Euro 2024 thanks to their 3-2 win over Slovakia. While the scoreline suggests it was a closely fought encounter, in reality, Portugal were well in control of the game throughout.
With a perfect record, the visitors sit at the top of Group J. They do not have anything to worry about heading into this game and will look to add to their goals having already scored 27 times in seven outings. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Bosnia and Herzegovina
The home team will be without the services of Adnan Kovacevic, Rade Krunic, Benjamin Tahirovic and Kenan Kodro.
⏳ Još samo dan do velikog spektakla na Bilinom polju.
🇧🇦 Bosna i Hercegovina 🆚🇵🇹 Portugal
📅 Ponedjeljak 16.10.2023.
🕣 20:45
📍 Zenica
🏟 BIlino polje pic.twitter.com/pBYJFxTYtl— NFS BIH (@NFSBiH) October 15, 2023
Savo Milosevic is expected to go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Ibrahim Sehic will be in goal. Amar Dedic and Sead Kolasinac will feature as the full-backs. In the heart of the defence will see Adrian Leon Barisic pair up with Dennis Hadzikadunic.
Former Juventus star Miralem Pjanic will feature in a double-pivot role in the centre of the park alongside Gojko Cimirot. The duo will look to control the possession of the ball and dictate the pace of this fixture.
Amar Rahmanovic who found the back of the net in their last outing will feature as the attacking midfielder. He will have the support of Miroslav Stevanovis and Ermedin Demirovic. And, 37-year-old Edin Dzeko will be leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sehic; Dedic, Barisic, Hadzikadunic, Kolasinac; Pjanic, Cimirot; Stevanovic, Rahmanovic, Demirovic; Dzeko
Portugal
Roberto Martinez is expected to make numerous changes to the XI that took to the field against Slovakia. He will look to test his bench strength in this fixture alongside a few of his first-team regulars.
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) October 15, 2023
The visitors will stick to the 4-3-3 formation, where Diogo Costa will be in goal. Nelson Semedo could feature as the right-back, while Diogo Dalot is expected to continue on the left. Ruben Dias will keep his place in the centre of the park, but he will have a new partner in Goncalo Inacio.
Vitinha, Ruben Neves, and Bruno Fernandes will be three in the centre of the park. Fernandes will feature in a more attacking role while Neves and Vitinha will take care of the defensive side of things. Joao Felix is expected to start on the right, while Diogo Jota could be on the left. Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to continue up top.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Costa; Semedo, Inacio, Dias, Dalot; Vitinha, R. Neves, Fernandes; Felix, Ronaldo, Jota
Key Stats
- Bosnia and Herzegovina and Portugal have faced each other five times so far. The visitors have an unbeaten record so far.
- Portugal have won four out of their five outings against the home team. In the reverse fixture between the two teams, the visitors won 3-0.
- Portugal have the best attack in the qualifying campaign with 27 goals in seven outings.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina have an incredible home record, they have won six out of their seven home games.
- The home team have failed to find the back of the net on four out of five occasions against Portugal.
Player to Watch
Joao Felix
Things did not go according to plan for Felix after he made a big money move to Atletico Madrid back in the summer of 2019. After years of struggle, the 23-year-old has started to showcase what he is really made up of.
The Portugal international has been on fire since joining Barcelona on loan. He has featured in eight matches and has been on the pitch for just over 500 minutes. Felix has found the back of the net thrice and also has three assists to his name. He is expected to start in this fixture for Portugal and will look to carry on from where he left off at the club level.
Prediction
Bosnia and Herzegovina 0-4 Portugal
Portugal might end up making numerous changes to the XI that took the field against Slovakia. But they still have way too much quality in their ranks and will prove very difficult for the home team to manage.
In the last meeting between the two teams, the visitors sealed an easy win and they are expected to have a similar sort of day this time out as well. Given the difference in quality between the two teams, The Hard Tackle predicts a 4-0 win for Portugal.
