The Republic of Ireland will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in a play-off for Euro 2016, with the first leg away on Friday November 13th, with the home leg on Monday 16th.
The draw could’ve been worse for Martin O’Neill’s side, but only just.
Ukraine were the team Ireland hoped to avoid, followed by Bosnia and then an ageing Sweden side. Hungary was the dream draw, but will face Norway for a place in France next summer.
Here’s how Bosnia’s group shaped up:
Despite all the talk of a Wales golden generation coming to fruition, Bosnia missed out on second spot due to a poor start to qualifying. Bosnia suffered shock defeats to both Israel and Cyprus during the opening four games of the qualifying group.
The Balkan nation then sacked their manager, and won five of their last six fixtures, including a 2-0 win over Wales last week.
Bosnia only lost one game at home during qualifying, the aforementioned shock 1-2 defeat to Cyprus in the opening game of qualifying. They drew 1-1 with Belgium, who topped the group and are ranked first in the world, and beat Wales.
They’re undoubtedly a team in-form, and will pose a serious threat to us. Here’s the lowdown on the team ranked 30th in the world, who stand between Ireland and a place in Euro 2016.
Star Player: Edin Dzeko
Currently on-loan at Roma from Manchester City, Dzeko has a very impressive international strike rate with 44 goals in 77 games and seven in qualifying, the same amount as Gareth Bale.
The 29-year-old could cause what will be a makeshift Ireland central defence, without the suspended John O’Shea for the first leg, plenty of trouble. Dzeko is strong in the air, a good finisher and links up well with his teammates.
Behind Dzeko, in central midfield, Ireland fans might shudder at the thought of Glenn Whelan up against Miralem Pjanic. If given time on the ball, the Roma midfielder can do this:
Manager: Mehmed Bazdarevic
Bazdarevic only took charge of Bosnia last December, following a disappointing start to their campaign. The 55-year-old has won five of his six games in charge, including a 2-0 win over second place Wales.
Previous record against Ireland: Ireland beat Bosnia 1-0 back in May 2012. Shane Long scored the only goal in Ireland’s penultimate warm-up game before Euro 2012.
A repeat result next month would be great.
If they’re so good, why did they finish third?
Despite reports to the contrary, it wasn’t because of an all-conquering Wales team. Bosnia were undone by a terrible start to their qualifying campaign, taking just one point from their opening three games, and losing to relative minnows Israel and Cyprus.
If they were a Premier League club, who would they be?
Swansea City because, like the Swans, Bosnia have experienced hardship and rejuvenation, and are relative newbies at this level.
They are also a creative team, with a powerful centre-forward and who like to play through central midfield. They’re capable of beating the best on their day, but can succumb to unexpected defeats.
Reasons for optimism: They suffered surprise defeats to teams such as Cyprus and Israel.
Reasons for pessimism: Bosnia are strong at home, possess a number of creative players and are a team in-form.
How they’ll most likely line-up:
