Canada vs Bosnia-Herzegovina Predicted Lineups & Team News

Canada host a World Cup game for the first time on Friday evening, as they take on surprise European qualifiers Bosnia-Herzegovina. After adding to Italy’s World Cup heartache, can the Bosnians spoil the party for Canada? 

Which players will the managers pick though? Let’s investigate with the team news, key players and Predicted Lineups ahead of Canada vs Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Canada:

For Canada, it’s hard not to see this as a tournament for progress. Their second-ever finals appearance in 2022 went largely like the first. They played three games, lost three games, and exited at the group stage.

Manager Jesse Marsch is aiming to take Canada forward, and home advantage should help them to a series of firsts. They’re aiming for a first point, and potentially a first victory, when they meet Bosnia on Friday. With a kind group draw in an expanded tournament, a first knockout berth seems like a realistic expectation.

However, Canada’s optimism is tainted by the absence of injury-prone captain Alphonso Davies.

The Bayern Munich defender is captain of his nation, and he scored their first-ever World Cup goal in 2022.

Injury issues mean Davies will miss Friday’s opener, which is far from ideal for a squad lacking top-level talent.

Bosnia-Herzegovina:

Bosnia saw off Wales in Cardiff in their first play-off game in March, much to the delight of the Italians. Videos of the Italy squad celebrating Bosnia’s success quickly spread, and that was surely a motivating factor for Bosnia in their decider against the Azzurri.

Bosnia endured a dire qualifying campaign for Euro 2024, losing seven of 10 games before suffering defeat in another playoff.

They narrowly missed out on automatic qualification to Austria, conceding an equaliser in Vienna in their final qualifier which saw them slip back into second place. With a wave of new talent joining some established names in their squad, this could be the start of a great period for Bosnian football.

Canada vs Bosnia-Herzegovina Key Players

Jonathan David (Canada)

Last summer’s move to Juventus hasn’t gone to plan for David. The forward scored only eight times in 46 games for Juve, and he’s been linked with moves away from Italy in this summer’s transfer window.

However, David is Canada’s all-time leading scorer with 39 goals and he forms a key strike partnership with the man second on that list, Southampton’s Cyle Larin.

With injury issues set to keep Alphonso Davies out of their opener, David will be the man carrying the weight of expectation ahead of Canada’s first World Cup game as a host.

Esmir Bajraktarevic (Bosnia-Herzegovina)

While 40-year-old Edin Dzeko remains the standout name and talisman of this Bosnian side, he’s supported by an up-and-coming group of players, including Benfica’s Amar Dedic, Sassuolo's Tarik Muharemovic, and PSV winger Esmir Bajraktarevic.

The 21-year-old Bajraktarevic was born in Wisconsin, and he earned a cap for the United States before switching allegiance to Bosnia.

The winger scored four goals and got four assists as PSV lifted the Eredivisie title. It was a breakout year for Bajraktarevic, who made 32 appearances across all competitions, largely off the bench.

However, his importance to the national side was clear earlier this year when he scored the decisive penalty to send them to the World Cup. Despite starting on the right, Bajraktarevic is left-footed, and he’ll be aiming to cut inside in support of the front two.

For all of our coverage and betting markets for the festival of football this summer, please check out our World Cup Odds over on betfred.com