Football Bet of the Day: Dzeko-less Bosnia blunted by Luxembourg in 7/2 shot

Thursday throws up nine European Championship qualifiers for punters' perusal, but it's Luxembourg vs Bosnia-Herzegovina at 19:45 which claims our Football Bet of the Day.

Luxembourg are the hosts for this one, and the Red Lions know only a victory will keep them in contention for Euro 2024, while Bosnia's chances of making Germany next year are already over.

Luxembourg stand two games away from history, with the chance of making their first-ever major tournament appearance at Euro 2024. Qualification is out of their hands, though, as Slovakia only require a single point to push themselves out of reach in second.

Their chances of doing the double over Bosnia, meanwhile, are boosted by the absences of Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic. The famous Bosnian duo have been left out of this month's squad to rest and recover, respectively.

That means Bosnia are shorn of the services of two players who have scored 83 internationals goals between them (Dzeko - 65, Pjanic - 18), and left with an unproven attack. They weren't exactly prolific scorers in this group even with Dzeko and Pjanic in their ranks, scoring seven in eight games, but taking them out further dents their options.

With qualification no longer a possibility, Bosnia's motivation to win on Thursday is considerably lower than Luxembourg's. The visitors have only scored two away goals in Group J - both against bottom-side Liechtenstein - while the hosts have proven a tough nut to crack at home, the 6-0 to Portugal aside.

They kept a clean sheet at home to Liechtenstein in June, while it took Slovakia and Iceland until the 77th and 88th-minute to breach their defence at the Stade de Luxembourg, and they look good value to keep out their opponents on Friday.

At the other end, I expect Gerson Rodrigues and Daniel Sinani - with 29 international goals between them, including five this campaign - to trouble the Bosnia backline and secure a much-need victory.

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