Preview: Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Poland - prediction, team news, lineups

Second meets third in Group B4 of the UEFA Nations League, as Bosnia-Herzegovina welcome Poland to Zenica for a crucial clash on Monday.

Only one point separates the two nations, with the hosts looking to extend their lead over the visitors and strengthen their chances of automatic promotion.

Match preview

Bosnia's quest to secure an immediate return to League A has been solid rather than spectacular, with Sergej Barbarez's side unbeaten across their opening three fixtures while picking up five points.

The Dragons, who were relegated from the competition's first tier in 2024-25, kicked off this year's edition with a goalless draw against Poland before securing a 4-2 victory at Romania, though they were unable to build on that winning momentum in Friday's home game against Sweden.

Barbarez would nonetheless have been pleased with his side's spirited display, having earned a point against the Scandinavian group leaders thanks to Kerim Alajbegovic's late equaliser, limiting Bosnia's losses to just two in their last 15 matches across all competitions.

Both defeats in that spell did come in the World Cup, where the Dragons suffered a heavy setback against Switzerland in the group stage before elimination at the hands of co-hosts USA in the round of 32, though playing on their own turf on Monday should provide an extra boost.

Bosnia have suffered just one loss from their last eight home games (W4, D3), but their last three such matches have ended level inside 90 minutes, a run that should at least encourage caution as they look to remain in the top two of the group.

Like the hosts, Poland also suffered relegation from the Nations League's first tier in the previous edition, but their quest for an immediate return has endured a relatively slow start after picking up four points from their opening three games of the campaign.

The White-Reds followed their opening-day draw against Bosnia with a 3-1 defeat to leaders Sweden, though they in some way compensated with a 6-0 demolition of 10-man Romania in Warsaw last time out.

Jan Urban's team made the most of their numerical advantage following Radu Dragusin's 22nd-minute dismissal, with Robert Lewandowski converting the resulting penalty before the veteran attacker completed his hat-trick in a five-goal second-half rout.

The victory marked Poland's biggest win since a 7-1 thrashing of minnows San Marino in 2021, while also bringing an end to a five-match winless streak (D2, L3), a spell that also saw the White-Reds miss out on the World Cup after their playoff defeat to Sweden.

That said, Monday's visitors can draw some encouragement from the fact that they remain unbeaten in each of their last six meetings with Bosnia, winning four of those contests, though their away form leaves much to be desired, having won just two of their last eight matches (D1, L5) on the road, both coming against minnows Malta and Lithuania.

Bosnia-Herzegovina Nations League form:

Bosnia-Herzegovina form (all competitions):

Poland Nations League form:

Poland form (all competitions):

Team News

Bosnia will begin life without legendary striker and captain Edin Dzeko, who played his farewell game for the nation last time out against Sweden.

As such, Haris Tabakovic is expected to return to the lineup to lead the line after coming in for Dzeko last time out, with the 32-year-old attacker looking to add to his lone goal this campaign.

Alajbegovic is likely to keep his place on the wing after his equaliser last time out, while former Arsenal man Sead Kolasinac should anchor affairs from the left side of defence.

Just like the hosts, Poland did not suffer any fresh injuries from their previous outing, so we could see a bulk of the players from the emphatic victory last time out retained here, with Robert Lewandowski likely to lead the line once again.

The 38-year-old's hat-trick last time out brought his tally to 92 goals for the nation, leaving him behind only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Ali Daei, Sunil Chhetri and Romelu Lukaku among the all-time international top scorers.

We could see manager Jan Urban retain the back four used against Romania, with the Porto duo of Jan Bednarek and Jakub Kiwior pairing up in the heart of defence, while Matty Cash and Przemyslaw Frankowski could continue at full-back.

Bosnia-Herzegovina possible starting lineup:

Zlomislic; Katic, Muharemovic, Kolasinac; Memic, Bajraktarevic, Alajbegovic, Basic, Gigovic; Tabakovic, Demirovic

Poland possible starting lineup:

Bulka; Cash, Bednarek, Kiwior, Frankowski; Szymanski, Nowak, Zielinski, Zalewski; Swiderski, Lewandowski

We say: Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-1 Poland

Bosnia have been quite resilient on their home turf, and while victory here could strengthen their push for a top-of-the-group finish, avoiding defeat would also be enough to keep their top-two dreams alive, so we expect some level of caution in their approach.

Poland, on the other hand, have the head-to-head record to draw on, but their struggles on the road in recent times cast doubts on their ability to take maximum points, so a share of the spoils looks feasible here.

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