Match preview: Bosnia-Herzegovina v. Belgium

With all the joy over our victory on Friday, it’s easy to forget that the re-match against Belgium is barely 24 hours away. In this post, I’m going to take a look at the tactics and intangibles that are in play for the game tomorrow. Let’s start with the line-ups. I will update this if any changes come up, but as of this writing Miroslav “Ćiro” Blažević claims that this is the side set to take the field tomorrow:

- Obviously, there are a couple of differences with the starting eleven that ran out in Genk. To start from the top, Zlatan Muslimović picked up a minor injury in the first game, so Senijad Ibričić has been moved up from left wing-back to take his spot. Ibričić doesn’t typically play striker (in Hajduk he starts rights behind them), but he’s a fairly versatile player with great technique and strong shot. Blažević coached Ibričić when he was just starting out at Zagreb, so he has tremendous faith in him. I would’ve preferred to see returning veteran and fan-favorite Marko Topić – last season’s second leading scorer in the Russian league – and I’m sure I’m not alone. As it is, however, Ibričić is a strong enough player that it doesn’t bother me.

- Two players return from injury. CSKA veteran Elvir Rahimić should be close to 100% by Wednesday, and when he’s ready he’s a lock for the starting XI. Rahimić is a crucial part of our team, and his return should add a lot of security to our midfield. More questionable is the inclusion of captain Emir Spahić, who ended up in a wheel chair after the last game. Spahić fell out of favor with Lokomotiv Moscow precisely because he kept playing for us through injuries, and it looks like he’s not about to stop anytime soon. A part of me would prefer that he doesn’t risk it, but I suppose that he knows what’s best for him. Depending on whether he’s in form or not, Spahić makes or breaks my confidence in our back line.

- The last major issue is with the wing backs. For better or for worse, Džemal Berberović remains a lock on the right side of the field. On the left, we haven’t had a natural since Saša Papac left and Mirko Hrgović went to waste. Offensive-minded maestro Sejad Salihović has been forced into the spot for most of Blažević’s tenure, but he’s currently out of operation. Ibričić (another offensive minded player) took over last week and played well. Now that he’s been pushed up to the front, all-arounder Sanel Jahić has taken this place. I would actually prefer to have Jahić start there regularly on the condition that it would free up Salihović for a more offensive role. No complaints here.

- The bench should be strong enough to handle all but the most severe crisis. Miralem Pjanić (AM, Lyon), Zlatan Bajramović (DM/CM, Frankfurt), Dario Damjanović (CB/DM, Kaiserslautern) and Marko Topić (ST, Saturn) strike me as the most likely candidates. Add Semir Štilić (CM/AM, Lech) to that list and things are looking pretty good on paper.

- Now for issues beyond our line-up. Belgium will no doubt be strengthened by the return of Vincent Kompany, who I have a lot of respect for. At the same time, although it might not be quite as easy to dance into the Belgian box anymore, our players have fared well against equally prestigious defensive names, so I’m not too worried. In my view, the biggest problem will be our approach to the game. In case you haven’t noticed, Bosnia has been in football euphoria for the past two and half days. If this celebratory mood gets to the players, we’re in trouble. On the other side of the pitch, Belgium will undoubtedly play like wounded lions. It’s not as if we’re such a better team than Belgium that we can rely on just our talent to get us through – mentality will be critical. With that in mind, I’ll rest my hopes with Blažević’s 40-some years of coaching experience and expertise. Although I’m far from his biggest fan, Ćiro has to be one of the greatest motivators in football history.

- The last thing I’ll mention is the home-crowd advantage. For those who don’t know, Zenica’s Bilino polje is notorious for its atmosphere. In post-match interviews, Belgium’s players seemed dismissive, claiming that the atmosphere was intense in Genk as well. They really don’t know what they’re getting themselves into. Although we probably won’t see another incident involving flares, Zenica will be Genk x3. The crowd there has carried us to far more unlikely results, and I have no doubt that they’ll serve as a 12th player tomorrow night as well. What’s more, I’m pretty sure that the pitch at Bilino polje is noticeably narrower than the one at Cristal arena. This works to our advantage, since the Belgians seem to love long passes, whereas we play according to what Del Bosque called “the old Yugoslav school” – technique, technique, technique.