Bosnia-Herzegovina will be looking to win their second game in a row when they visit Iceland in a Euro 2024 qualifier. The visitors, have six points and are currently in fourth place in the division. They come into this match after defeating Liechtenstein 2-1, while Iceland, is currently in fifth place. They lost to Luxembourg 3-1 the previous time they played.
Preview (Iceland vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Iceland made headlines by participating in Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup. It was their lone appearance in the European Championship finals, they advanced to the quarterfinals. However, Our Boys did not compete at Euro 2020. Given their troubles in Group J thus far, it is quite tough to see them finishing first or second. In fact, Age Hareide’s team has only collected three points from their five games in the group. It leaves them in fifth place and seven points behind Slovakia in second place. The end of March saw Iceland thrash Liechtenstein 7-0, but they have lost their previous three games.
The national team will need to win all three of their remaining three home games against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein in order to position themselves for a possible last-minute top-two finish in the qualification campaign. In contrast, Bosnia-Herzegovina comes into this game off a 2-1 victory over Liechtenstein on Friday. Edin Dzeko scored first, and Simon Luchinger’s own goal made it 2-0. In the 21st minute, Sandro Wolfinger halved the score, but the home team held on to earn all three points. It moved them to six points in Group J, good for fourth place in the standings.
With the same amount of games played, Meho Kodro’s team sits four points behind Slovakia in second place. Bosnia-Herzegovina has never advanced to the European Championship finals. However, they participated in the 2014 World Cup and lost in the group stage. The visitors defeated Iceland 3-0 in the rematch back in March. Until turning things around against Liechtenstein, they had lost three straight games in the group.
Team News
Horour Magnusson, a central defender for Iceland, will not play because he was suspended for the team’s 3-1 loss to Luxembourg on Friday night.As a result, Alfons Sampsted might start, while Johann Berg Gudmundsson of Burnley will once more have a berth in the midfield. Alfreo Finnbogason, who has 16 goals for the national team, is expected to keep his spot in the last third of the pitch, along with Lille player Hakon Arnar Haraldsson, 20, who is also anticipated to start. Following their victory over Liechtenstein, Bosnia-Herzegovina did not announce any new injury worries, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the same starting lineup for this game.
Although Dzeko, 37, is approaching the end of his career, he is still considered to be the best player in his nation, and on Friday night, he scored once more. Nemanja Bilbija is likely to keep his position in the final third of the field, and Miralem Pjanic, Rade Krunic, and Sead Kolasinac will all be recognizable names in the starting lineup. We anticipate Bosnia-Herzegovina to win so that the guests can secure their place in the qualification round. Iceland’s loss to Luxembourg was disappointing, and it is difficult to back them to pick up a win with any real assurance.
