Canada vs Bosnia-Herzegovina Prediction: Les Rouges to claim their first World Cup win

Co-hosts Canada get their FIFA World Cup campaign underway on Friday (3pm local/8pm BST, BBC One) when they face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Group B opener in Toronto. Les Rouges are making back-to-back finals appearances for the first time in their history.

They're up against a Bosnia side that needed one of the European play-off pathways to seal their place in North America. Below you'll find my Canada vs Bosnia-Herzegovina predictions, aided by the latest match odds and team news.

Team News

Alphonso Davies, the figurehead of the Canada national football team, will miss his side's opening fixture on Friday as he's still recovering from a hamstring issue.

The Canucks will have their all-time top scorer, Jonathan David, available, however, and the Juventus striker is set to lead the line. Boss Jesse Marsch is likely to field a similar XI to the one that drew with the Republic of Ireland on Saturday.

David could be partnered up front by Southampton front man Cyle Larin.

For Bosnia, they could miss their all-time top scorer and appearance-maker Edin Dzeko because of a shoulder injury. Haris Tabakovic is also a doubt owing to an ankle problem.

There's hope that midfielder Ivan Sunjic will be declared fit to play against Canada following some recent fitness issues.

Canada vs Bosnia-Herzegovina Odds

Canada are the 4/5 favourites to win this clash and they've won three of their past six fixtures.

Bosnia's last five games have ended level in regulation time, with the draw here on offer at 5/2. The Dragons are deemed a 7/2 bet to come away with the three points in Toronto.

Nine of Bosnia's previous 10 games have produced goals at both ends, with BTTS - Yes available at 11/10.

Double Delight & Hat-trick Heaven: Get DOUBLE or TREBLE the odds if your winning First Goalscorer bet scores a second and third.

Match Result & Total Goals Over/Under 3.5 Goals - Canada & Under @ 13/10

At first I considered backing a draw in this contest. Then I remembered that Canada are at home in front of their supporters and the Canucks are seeking their first-ever victory at the World Cup finals.

This tournament seems like the best time to make that happen. I don't think the home advantage aspect can be overstated because this could play a huge part in helping Marsch's men get through to the knockout stage.

A strong start can make all the difference and I'm going to give them the edge in this clash as they've won three of their previous six fixtures.

Bosnia have drawn all of their past five matches (in regulation time) and they may struggle in front of a raucous Toronto crowd, while they might be without key player Dzeko.

To improve the odds, I added the Under 3.5 Goals market because there have been fewer than four goals scored in each of Bosnia's five most recent outings.

Under 3.5 Goals has also struck in each of Canada's last three games.

Player To Be Yellow Carded - Ivan Sunjic @ 5/4

I think Sunjic has been preserved to feature in this Group B opener and I'm expecting him to start in Bosnia's midfield to break up play and help shield the Dragons' defence.

He's not always clean when making his challenges and I'm drawn to him receiving a yellow card at 5/4, which has an implied probability of 44.4%. Having watched him for several years at my beloved Birmingham City, I know just how careless the 29-year-old can be.

Sunjic has two bookings in 11 appearances for Bosnia to date and I think he'll see card number three on Friday in Toronto.