The two nations are separated by just two places in FIFA world rankings, with Bosnia ranked 59th and Finland positioned in 57th place.
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Finland will host Bosnia-Herzegovina at the Helsinki Olympic stadium in their 2022-23 UEFA Nations League fixture on Saturday. The two sides have been drawn alongside Montenegro and Romania in Group 3 of League B. With only one promotion spot up for grabs, both teams would be aiming to make a positive start to their campaign. Meanwhile the two nations are separated by just two places in FIFA world rankings, with Bosnia ranked 59th and Finland positioned in 57th place. Both sides played their last game in March, with Finland losing 2-0 to Slovakia and Bosnia edging past Luxembourg. The two nations have met five times before and the head-to-head record is perfectly balanced at the moment, with two wins apiece while one game ended in a draw.
Gojak, Pjanić, Ahmedhodžić, Bilbija, Krunić, & Džeko at today’s training session in Zenica. ??
Finland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday in Helsinki ??.. predictions? pic.twitter.com/muE8QtY1M1
— BH live ?? (@BHlive_official) June 1, 2022
The Eagle-Owls made their major tournament debut at Euro 2020 and put up a fighting performance before narrowly missing out on the knockouts. Finland finished third in their group behind Ukraine and France. But Markku Kanerva’s side couldn’t keep up the highs from the Euros, having won only three of their last 11 internationals. they are still waiting for their maiden appearances in the World Cup finals. Surprisingly their last victory was against Bosnia, away from home in a World Cup qualifier in November last year. Meanwhile Finland’s home form is a cause of concern for Kanerva, as they have won only once in their last 10 games on home soil, not finding the back of the net on six occasions.
On the other hand, Bosnia have steadily declined since their 2014 world Cup high. The Dragons have also failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and they will be aiming to put up a good show in the Nations League. Ivaylo Petev’s slide endured a disappointing 2020-21 nations League campaign, finishing behind Italy, Netherland and Poland with just two points from six games, and were subsequently relegated from League A Group1. Meanwhile Bosnia’s latest form also hasn’t been great, winning just one of their last six matches. In the last game against Luxembourg, veteran striker Edin Dzeko came off the bench to score an 86th-minute winner.Â
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Finland boss Kanerva has called up 27 players for the upcoming fixtures in June. There are no reported injuries or suspension concerns at the moment. Nikolai Alho and Jere Uronen are likely to operate down the wings, while the likes of Glen Kamara, Rasmus Schuller and Robin Lord could all start in the middle of the park. Norwich’s Teemu Pukki, who has 34 international goals to his name, would be the leader in the attack.Â
As for Bosnia, once again the onus would be on Inter Milan’s Dzeko get the goals. The veteran is undoubtedly the star-man in the squad having netted 61 times for Bosnia, 33 more than any other player in the nations history. Former Arsenal-man Sead Kolasinac is expected to start at the left-back position. Amer Gojak and Muhamed Besic are likely to pull the strings in the midfield.Â
Finland probable starting lineup: Hradecky, Alho, L. Vaisanen, S. Vaisanen, O’Shaughnessy, Uronen, Lod, Kamara, Schuller, Pohjanpalo, Pukki.
Bosnia-Herzegovina probable starting lineup: Sehic, Ahmedhodzic, Sanicanin, Civic, Kolasinac, Besic, Pjanic, Gojak, Krunic, Stevanovic, Dzeko.
The Nations League match between Finland and Bosnia-Herzegovina will take place at the Helsinki Olympic stadium and it will kick off at 9:30 pm IST on Saturday.
The live streaming of the UEFA Nations League matches will be available on SonyLIV and Jio TV.
