Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Slovakia prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-11-18 19:45.
Savo Milošević’s honeymoon period as Bosnia and Herzegovina boss is well and truly over after an embarrassing defeat to Luxembourg on Thursday night. The 4-1 hammering in UEFA European Championship qualifying (ECQ) was the manager’s second in three matches (W1) since taking the reins in September, and followed on from a 5-0 mauling at the hands of Portugal last month.
Those results have contributed towards a miserable campaign that will see the Dragons finish a long way off the top two in Group J, so it’s a good job their UEFA Nations League performance means they’re already assured of a Euro 2024 play-off spot. With those crucial fixtures set to take place in March, Milošević will be desperate for his side to find some momentum as they attempt to book their place at just a second major tournament as an independent nation.
The hope will be that opponents Slovakia may take their foot off the gas, given they sealed their spot at a third-straight Euro finals by thrashing Iceland 4-2 in midweek. However, that seems unlikely given the Falcons, who beat Bosnia 2-0 earlier in the campaign, are seeking to equal their previous best of 22 points in a Euro qualifying campaign, having won six of their nine fixtures so far (D1, L2).
Both of those defeats came against Portugal, the only team whom they will finish below in Group J, which shows just how tough to beat Francesco Calzona has made his side. They also rarely lose away from home in ECQs, winning ten of their last 14 fixtures on the road (L4), with each reversal coming against a team who were inside the top 25 in FIFA’s world rankings at the time.
Key battle: Goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj has conceded a whopping 13 goals across his last three internationals for Bosnia (L3). Attempting to extend that miserable record may be Juraj Kucka, who netted in Slovakia’s win over Iceland and remains unbeaten in international games in which he has scored (W11, D2).
Hot streak: Bosnia’s last 12 internationals have been won by the team who scored first.