Verdict: Away win
Best odds: 23/20
Bookmaker: 888sport
Zrinjski of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be hosting Moldavian side Sheriff Tiraspol at the stadium of Bijeli Brijeg in the town of Mostar on Wednesday evening, in the first leg of their clash in the first round of the Champions League qualifications.
Zrinjski
HSK Zrinjski, as they’re properly called, won the title in the Bosnian Premier League in 2021/22, finishing a whopping 27 points ahead of Tuzla City in second place, and a round 30 ahead of Borac in third. Given the highly questionable strength of the league, the top spot warrants no more than a place in the opening round of the qualifications for UEFA’s elite club competition, making it realistically very difficult for them to reach the group stages.
Given that the summer break has been going on for some time in Bosnia and Herzegovina and that the upcoming one starts in the middle of this very month, the form of Zrinjski is very difficult to judge with the only sample being two friendlies they played in June, a 2-1 win over Slovenian side Mura and a 3-0 win over NK Varazdin of Croatia.
Team News
Captain Nemanja Bilbija will be the main figure of the attacking section of his team, with Dragan Juranovic and Irfan Hadzic struggling with knee injuries at the moment.
Three loanees from Dinamo Zagreb, Petar Sucic, Niko Jankovic and Mario Cuze, will be aiming to have their say in the fixture, but Nikola Mandic will likely be the main creativity outlet for the Bosnian champions.
Sheriff Tiraspol
Speaking of Dinamo Zagreb, they were one of the three teams beaten by Sheriff Tiraspol as the latter became the first ever Moldavian side to make it into the group stages of the Champions League last term, along with Alashkert and Red Star Belgrade. Having finished third in the group after facing Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk, they made their way into the knockout stages of the Europa League where they were beaten by Braga in the play-off phase on penalties.
Sheriff won the title in the Divizia Nationala again, finishing six points ahead of Petrocub Hincesti in second place, as well as the Moldavian Cup by beating Sfintul Gheorghe in the final played on May 21st. Now they’re ready to begin a new chapter in their history, led by Stjepan Tomas who has replaced Yuriy Vernydub in the dugout.
That chapter could soon become very successful, if they manage to repeat the feat of last season and qualify to play among the European elite once again.
Team News
One of the difficulties Tomas faces at the moment is coping without Sebastien Thill, the star of the team in last season’s campaign, who has returned to Niederkorn in Luxembourg following the expiration of the winger’s loan deal with the Moldavian champions. Midfielder Adama Traore has also left the club, joining Hungarian side Ferencvaros in a deal worth around €2 million.
On the other hand, there are no reports of any injury problems for Sheriff, and Tomas is likely to hand 26-year-old Nigerian forward Iyayi Atiemwen a chance to shine on his competitive debut for the club after he joined their ranks as a free agent from Dinamo Zagreb at the start of the month.
Conclusion
Despite losing two very important players this summer, Sheriff are still favourites to progress from this duel, and they’ll likely be seeking to settle the matter on Wednesday already.
Verdict: Away win
Best odds: 23/20
Bookmaker: 888sport
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