Today, on March 21 in Zenica, the Ukraine national team will play a semi-final match of the Euro-2024 qualification playoff against Bosnia and Herzegovina (kick-off at 9:45 PM Kyiv time). We present our opponent.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

General Information

Confederation: UEFA. Governing body: Football Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of February 2024, the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina held the 71st place in the FIFA ranking (among European teams, it was 39th). Home arenas: "Bilino Polje" stadium (15,292 seats) and "Asim Ferhadija-Hase" stadium (37,500 seats). Highest achievement — qualification to the group stage of the World Cup (2014). The team's first match in history was played on November 30, 1995 against Albania (2:0), its biggest wins were achieved on September 10, 2008 over Estonia (7:0) and September 7, 2012 over Liechtenstein (8:1); the team's worst defeats occurred on May 14, 1998 against Argentina (0:5) and October 16, 2023 against Portugal (0:5). The national team is nicknamed "Dragons", "«Yellow and Blue»" and «Golden Lilies».

Squad

Goalkeepers: Ibragim Šehić («Al-Haliž», Saudi Arabia), Nikola Vasić («Hamburg II», Germany), Kenan Pičić («AEK Larnaca», Greece).

Defenders: Yusuf Gazibegović («Sturm», Austria), Sead Kolašinac («Arsenal», England), Eldar Čivić («Ferencváros», Hungary), Adnan Kovacević («Raków», Poland), Anel Ahmedhodžić («Sheffield Wednesday», England), Dennis Hadžikadunić («Hamburg», Germany), Renato Goyković («Orël», Russia), Amar Dedić («RB Salzburg», Austria). Nihad Mujačiç («Ankaragücü», Turkey).

Midfielders: Rade Krunic («Fenerbahçe», Turkey), Gojko Cimirot («Standard Liège», Belgium), Ivan Bašić («Orël», Russia), Binyamin Tahirović («Ajax», Netherlands), Miralem Pjanić («Shardja», UAE), Denis Husenbašić («Köln», Germany), Haris Hajradinović («Kasımpaşa», Turkey), Amar Rahmanić («Samara», Russia).

Forwards: Edin Džeko («Fenerbahçe», Turkey), Ermin Đedović («Augsburg», Germany), Haris Tahtaković, Smajl Prevljak (both — «Hertha BSC», Germany), Said Gümülcin («Lokomotiv Moscow», Russia), Dal Varešanović («Rizespor», Turkey), Nemanja Bilbija («Zrinjski»).

Main Coach

The national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina is coached by the 50-year-old Serbian specialist Savo Milošević, who replaced Bosnian Meho Kodro in this position in September 2023.

Before that, Milošević worked with Red Star Belgrade and Slovenian «Union»», and was also an assistant coach in the Montenegro national team.

Under his leadership, "Dragons" played only four matches: they won one and lost three. In tactics, he adheres to a 4—2—3—1 formation.

Captain

The captain of the current Bosnia and Herzegovina national team is experienced forward Edin Džeko, who plays for Turkish Fenerbahçe. To date, he has played 133 matches for the Bosnian national team, scoring 65 goals, which is the best record in the history of the country's football.

In his club career, the 38-year-old striker has also played for «Željezničar», «Teplice», «Ústí nad Labem», «VfL Wolfsburg», «Manchester City», «Roma» and «Inter».

Edin Džeko stands out for his height (1.93 m), making him excellent at playing in the second line. He is a powerful, fast, and aggressive player with great technical skills. In addition to being goal-oriented, he also makes many key passes. His shot power from both feet is very strong. The authoritative portal Transfermarkt estimates his transfer value at 3.3 million euros.