UEFA Playoff Final Path A – Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Italy | OneFootball

Italy face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final of Pathway A. The winners will take their place in the World Cup Finals.

For the Azzurri, this marks an outstanding opportunity to make their first finals appearance in 12 years. It seems inconceivable that the last time Italy graced the world stage was in 2014. Consequently, little wonder that this shootout is being touted as the biggest game in a generation. Teenagers have grown up watching their national team without having seen them play at a World Cup.

Coach Rene Gattusso has spent a lot of time talking about nerves in the Italian camp and with little surprise. Their attempts to reach the last two finals have ended at exactly this stage.

Pressure is on

In 2018 they lost to Sweden. Then, four years’ later, in one of the biggest humiliations in Italian football history, they went down 1-0 to North Macedonia in the play-off semi finals. The result sent shockwaves through Italian football, especially as they were at the time reigning European Champions.

But that was a failure to get to a 32-team World Cup. This year’s competition has been expanded to 48 teams. New Zealand, ranked 85th in the world, are already playing. Italy, ranked 12th, will be the highest ranked team to fail to make it should they lose on Tuesday. The embarrassment would be huge. The pressure is on.

They should be buoyed by a comfortable victory in the semi-final against Northern Ireland. Once they scored the first goal in a 2-0 win the result was never in doubt. It wasn’t spectacular but Italy aren’t in spectacular territory right now. They just needed to win. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma said the camp was feeling pressure, but that was only natural. “We’re ready, we need to do what we prepared in training, focus on what we are capable of, and the rest will come as a consequence,” he told Sky Sports Italia.

Banana skins

Yet there are banana skins around every corner. Italy are far more comfortable on home soil and will not relish the trip to Zenica, Bosnia. The pitch is so bad both teams have been banned from playing on it. The weather isn’t getting any better – it’s been snowing and raining – and temperatures have been at freezing point. The heaters have been on the pitch but it won’t be a warm welcome.

Then the Italians have been waging a PR battle after a video emerged of some Italian players and backroom staff seemingly celebrate in the wake of Bosnia’s 4-2 penalty shootout win over Wales in the semi-final. Federico Dimarco sent a text to his former Inter teammate, Bosnia striker Edin Džeko, after the clip went viral on socials. Bosnia were quick to accuse the Italians of arrogance.

It’s all a storm in a tea cup of course. However, if Italy do see Bosnia as a lesser opponent than Wales would have been, they will take them lightly at their peril.

Line up

Gattusso may well name an unchanged team, with striker Mateo Retegui in ahead of Francesco Pio Esposito, and Matteo Politano chosen in favour Marco Palestra. Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali, who went into the Northern Ireland game not fully fit, scored and came through unscathed. Therefore, he will be expected to lead the midfield again. With a goal and an assist against Northern Ireland, he is vital to Italian hopes.

Džeko stars again

At the tender age of 40 most footballers are reminiscing about their glory days having hung up their boots. Not Edin Džeko. The evergreen striker scored the all important equalising goal against Wales – a smart header from a corner – and then in the penalty shootout.

Bosnia will go into the game in good heart and quite possibly with a sense of being given a second chance after being second best for large parts of the Wales game. They were 1-0 down until the 86th minute. Additionally, they were also behind in the penalty shootout before turning it around.

Džeko was quick to brush off the Italy video but has hinted something isn’t right in the Italian camp if they were wanting to avoid Wales.

He said: “If they’re afraid of playing in Wales, it means something isn’t working, and maybe we should look at it this way, they might really suffer in this match because they’re playing for so much after missing two World Cups. That means they’re afraid.”

Bosnia unfancied

Bosnia are also attempting to reach their first World Cup finals since 2014. However, the bookies have them down as outsiders in this fixture, with Italy odds-on to progress.

Certainly the head to head meetings don’t favor them. Of the six times they have played Italy, they have won one, drawn one and lost four. They have only won two of their last six matches in regulation time. By contrast, Italy are on strong form with five wins out of six.

Team news

No fresh injuries or problems means that Sergej Barbarez has a full squad to choose from.

Verdict

This game is simply too important for Italy to lose. We expect both teams to give a decent account of themselves. Bosnia will benefit from home advantage and the conditions, but the quality Italy have on show should see them over the line and off to the USA, Canada and Mexico