Switzerland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina Predicted Lineups & Team News

Group B is perfectly poised after the first round of fixtures ended in two draws, with Switzerland conceding late to underdogs Qatar, and Bosnia-Herzegovina battling to a draw with hosts Canada. 

It means there’s plenty to play for as Switzerland face Bosnia-Herzegovina at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (12pm local/8pm BST, ITV1). You can find the Switzerland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina Predicted Lineups & Team News down below. 

Switzerland

Switzerland boss Murat Yakin was left furious after his side frittered away all three points with a tepid opening display against Qatar. It will be interesting to see how many changes he makes to his XI here, given his side were dominant for the entirety of that game. 

Breel Embolo scored from the penalty spot and should continue to lead the line, while I feel Yakin is likely to stick with the XI that had 10 shots on target and 70% possession. Things came apart when he made substitutions in the second half. 

If that’s the case it means that Borussia Dortmund's Gregor Kobel will continue in goal behind a back four of Denis Zakaria, Nico Elvedi, Manuel Akanji and Ricardo Rodriguez. 

Michel Aebischer, Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler are a strong midfield three, while Ruben Vargas and Dan Ndoye may flank Embolo although Zeki Amdouni is also pushing for a start. 

Bosnia-Herzegovina 

Bosnia-Herzegovina boss Sergej Barbarez will have been delighted with his team’s performance against Canada so again it feels unlikely that he will switch things up too much. 

There is some concern surrounding Saed Kolasinac, who came off with an injury late on. Dzenis Burnic is an option to replace him, but you would have thought that the experienced former Arsenal man will do everything in his power to start.

Set in a 4-4-2,  Nikola Vasilj will keep his place in goal behind Amar Dedic, Nikola Katic, Tarik Muharemovic and if fit, Kolasinac. The midfield four will comprise of youngster Esmir Bajraktarevic, Benjamin Tahirovic, Ivan Basic or Armin Gigovic, and PSV’s Esmir Bajraktarevic.

Up top, Ermedin Demirovic and Jovo Lukic are set to lead the line again, with Samed Bazdar an alternative option at the top end of the pitch.

Remember you can bet on this match and check out all of the live Switzerland vs Bosnia-Herzegovia Odds over on betfred.com

Switzerland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina Key Players:

Breel Embolo (Switzerland)

Having scored that penalty in the opening game against Qatar, the Rennes forward will be hoping to get amongst the goals again for his nation. He’s the most dynamic forward needs to get on the end of more opportunities. He only had two shots against Qatar, and one of those was the penalty. 

He had 21 touches, created the joint-most chances (five) and had the most touches (10) in the opposition box in the opener, so I think he will also have a big impact here.

Nikola Katic (Bosnia-Herzegovina)

 The Schalke centre-back was a standout in their draw, and up against Embolo he is going to have a big task on his hands. He had the most defensive contributions (26) against Canada, but will have to be more accurate with the ball, as he completed just 14 of his 23 passes.

Five tackles, one clearance off the line and two blocks show that he is up for the fight, and I think he will be crucial for Bosnia-Herzegovina here. 

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