Getting to know… Bosnia: The tiny nation has only been a full FIFA member since 1995 and they have been on the up and up in recent years but were knocked out by Portugal in playoffs for both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. After qualifying for the tournament in Brazil, Bosnia have reached their first-ever major tournament as a nation. A strong core of players including Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic and AS Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic should see them give a very good account of themselves this summer.
Record in qualifying: Bosnia finished top of their group in UEFA qualifying, as they won eight of their ten games in Group G. They beat Greece to the automatic spot on goal differential and only lost once the entire campaign. They scored 30 goals and let in just six as Dzeko’s status as a national hero in Bosnian was reinforced by his goalscoring exploits in qualifying.
Which group are they in? They are in Group F alongside red-hot favorites Argentina, Iran and Nigeria. Bosnia will be hoping their first-ever World Cup appearance will yield a trip to at least the last 16 stage. Many favor the Bosnian side to cause some huge upsets and you would expect them to battle it out for second spot in the group.
Game schedule:
15 June, 18:00, Rio de Janeiro – Argentina vs. Bosnia
21 June, 15:00, Curitiba - Nigeria vs. Bosnia
25 June, 12:00, Salvador - Bosnia vs. Iran
Star player: Edin Dzeko
The bustling striker heads to the World Cup fresh off winning the Premier League title with Man City and Dzeko played a huge part in that with key goals late in the campaign. Overall he scored 26 goals for the Citizens and his power in the air and incredible hold up play makes him a key cog in Bosnia’s machine. Not many defenders can out-muscle Dzeko and he has a knack of popping up in the right place at the right time, as all good strikers seem to do. If they can get him the ball regularly, the big Bosnian will finish.
Manager: Safet Susic
A manager with plenty of experience, 59-year-old Susic has mainly managed in Turkey after his long playing career with Paris Saint-Germain and FK Sarajevo. He played for Yugoslavia for 13 years but also appeared for Bosnia after the war in 1993 before they became an official FIFA nation. Susic has been at the helm since 2009 and has won 24 of his 42 games in charge. He encourages Bosnia to attack but they are also extremely solid defensively. We saw that in their 1-0 World Cup warm up win against Mexico.
Secret weapon: An unknown quantity
It seems silly in this day and age, but not many people know about the player possess. With guys like former St. Louis University star Vedad Ibisevic and many others working their way up through the European leagues, this will be the first time they have experienced the World Cup and the biggest stage of all. There could be nerves but they could also feel no pressure and exceed everyone’s expectations.
Prediction: Bosnia are a well-organized and with their tough mentality, many teams won’t relish playing against them in the World Cup. They could easily make it out of their group and then who knows? Ultimately, this is their first World Cup so anything other than getting embarrassed in the group stage is an achievement.