Prediction: Bosnia-Hercegovina vs Portugal

11th November 2011

Bosnia-Hercegovina are looking for a revenge after they were denied a place at the 2010 World Cup by losing to Portugal in the play-offs, whereas Selecao are hoping for another playoff win over the same opponent. The first leg will be played in Zenica, where the poor state of the playing surface is likely to give the hosts the extra edge.

Bosnia-Hercegovina have been on the constant uptrend over the last decade, and the team didn’t let the 2010 World Cup failure get to them, although experienced coach Ciro Blazevic did leave the post after the play-offs against Portugal. His replacement Safet Susic needed some time to make this team his own, so we cannot really say that several slip ups at the start to the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign were surprising. Nonetheless, Bosnia managed to raise their game in the second part of the campaign, with four straight wins giving them a chance to achieve automatic qualification by beating France at Saint Denis. Bosnia were very close to beating France at their own ground, having taken the lead through Edin Dzeko, but they conceded a late equalizer and had to settle for a place in the play-offs. They are now set to face Portugal, the team that are in much worse state than the last time the two sides met, so the hosts definitely have a chance of getting a positive result here. While their attacking department should again work like a charm, with players like Dzeko, Ibisevic, Pjanic and Misimovic in the side, the back line will be severely weakened by the absences of Boris Pandza, Sasa Papac and Mensur Mujdza.

Portugal have been all but convincing in the Euro 2012 qualifiers and it seems that this side are no longer capable of matching the best national teams in the world. Paulo Bento’s side did record several comprehensive wins over the weak sides in the group, albeit sharing spoils with Cyprus at home, but they lost to both Norway and Denmark on the travels, with their showing in the crucial qualifier against Denmark especially disappointing. Apart from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani, all other players from the squad are struggling to make an impact at their respective clubs, so it is no wonder that they cannot do much when called into action by Paulo Bento. Portugal also have experienced big problems at the back, especially since the boss clashed with Ricardo Carvalho and Jose Bosingwa, in whose absence defence looks pretty shaky. The mere fact that Portugal conceded five goals in last two qualifiers proves that claim. Paulo Bento is hoping the return of Pepe and Fabio Coentrao will bring some improvement, but Danny and Silvio were forced to withdraw.

Conclusion

Both sides are likely to adopt attack-minded approach, so there is every chance we will see an open game in Zenica. Both Bosnia and Portugal boast plenty of attacking potential, but they have big problems at the back, so backing both teams to score looks like a good option here.

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best Odds: 21/20

Bookmaker: William Hill