The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team will play Cyprus in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers at Bilino Polje in Zenica, BHRT reports.
Both teams have three points after the first round, but the success of the “Dragons” on the road in Romania, where they celebrated with a 1:0 goal by Armin Gigović, certainly has a greater specific weight and importance than Cyprus’s home triumph against San Marino with a 2:0.
However, the BiH team also paid for the victory in Bucharest with injuries to striker Gigović (shoulder) and captain Edin Džeko, who suffered a broken nose, and his performance tonight is still questionable, because he did not train with the team at the Butmir Training Center in Sarajevo yesterday.
BiH coach Sergej Barbarez emphasized that Gigović will be ready to play.
“We are only trying something with Edin, but he really looks like a warrior. But he has a certain will to play, beyond all criteria and beyond all suggestions. That simply speaks of his character. Now we will wait for the game,” announced Barbarez, who was satisfied with his team’s performance and the self-initiative shown in Bucharest.
However, he emphasized that euphoria is not something he is interested in, reminding us that “hands on, they only won one game”.
“We all know that without a good game against Cyprus, it means almost nothing to us. So, we have to confirm that. I call it, now, that we should slowly collect the ‘icing on the cake’ and, perhaps, in these next three games against Austria, try to win the maximum points balance. That is some kind of plan and idea,” said Barbarez.
Especially now, after the triumph in Bucharest, he underlined his satisfaction with the schedule, because in June they expect a home duel against San Marino and in September an away match against the same rival, and then a home match against Austria. They could welcome the Austrians with a big 12 points, which is now the new goal of the “Dragons”.
Barbarez also emphasized that if he had made the schedule himself, especially after the triumph in Bucharest, it would not have been better for him and his players.
He did not want to reveal details about the tactics he will use tonight against Cyprus, because, as he said, it would be frivolous as a coach to reveal the game plan.
“Of course, now, on paper, we are some of the favorites, but I don’t like to use that word, somehow. It doesn’t mean anything to me. The Romanians were the favorites, so they lost. Of course we will go for the win,” announced Barbarez.
The coach of the Cypriots Apostolos Mantzios led his players in training at the Zenica stadium last night, and before the training he held a press conference and spoke with great respect about the Bosnian team.
He said that he was not surprised by the “Dragons” triumph in Bucharest against Romania, but he would also like his players to repeat the approach and play they showed in the duel against San Marino.
The possible absence of Bosnian striker Džeko would make their job easier, he added, but he is also confident that the Bosnian captain will play.
“We are aware of how strong the BiH team is. Especially after the victory against Romania, because the psychological aspect is on their side. But we will do our best and I am convinced that if we play like we did against San Marino, we will achieve a positive result. If Džeko does not play, that is a plus for us. But I think he will play. As a coach, I cannot focus all my attention on just one player, but on the entire BiH team,” said Mantzios, who underlined that he believes in his team and that they are ready to face the BiH team with a big race.
These two teams have played four times so far, and not a single match has ended without a winner, so this is a good sign that the spectators at the Zenica stadium, which will undoubtedly be full, will enjoy the game.
Both teams recorded two victories, and the Cypriots even celebrated 2:1 on September 9, 2014, in the European Championship qualifiers, right at Bilino Polje. BiH then won the return match 3:2.
The Cypriots also won their last match against each other, on August 31, 2017, at home, when the score was 3:2 in the World Cup qualifiers. The first match in Zenica, on October 10, 2016, ended 2:0 in favor of BiH, so the total goal difference in the head-to-head matches is 8:7 in favor of the “Dragons”.
Group H table after the 1st round: Cyprus and BiH 3 points each, Romania, San Marino and Austria without points.
