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

Hoping to start their UEFA Nations League B campaign with a bang, Poland will welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to PGE Narodowy on Friday.

The White-Reds are eyeing a first win in four games, while the Dragons are keen to build on their World Cup showing.

Match preview

Jan Urban's Poland were surprise absentees from the 2026 World Cup, and they will be looking to set out on strong footing ahead of the Euro 2028 qualification cycle.

The White-Reds fell short of this summer's tournament after losing 3-2 against Sweden in the playoffs back in March, a game that saw them fight back to 1-1 and 2-2 only for Viktor Gyokeres to net an 88th-minute winner.

That defeat brought an end to Urban's side's impressive seven-game unbeaten run, which featured five victories and two draws, both of which were with the Netherlands.

To make matters worse, Poland followed up their playoff disappointment with a 2-0 beating by Ukraine on May 31, before being held to a 2-2 stalemate by Nigeria three days later.

After the hosts' efforts were scuppered - and their summer went by with a whimper - morale may be low, but securing all three points on Friday in front of a home crowd could go some way towards reorienting the team.

That being said, the White-Reds were relegated from Nations League A after suffering four defeats and collecting only four points from six matches during the 2024-25 iteration, and it remains to be seen whether 38-year-old Robert Lewandowski can lift Poland back up.

Meanwhile, Sergej Barbarez's Bosnia-Herzegovina are set to wave goodbye to national team icon Edin Dzeko this autumn, riding a wave of positivity from their World Cup campaign.

The former Manchester City striker - who is the Dragons' captain, record goalscorer (73) and appearance holder (151) - announced that he will be retiring from international football after the their showdown against Sweden on October 2, and he will be fighting to leave the team in a strong position in his final games.

In many respects that has already been achieved, considering Barbarez's side reached only their second-ever World Cup finals this year, and made the knockout stages for the very first time in the nation's history.

Having developed a taste for major competitions, Bosnia-Herzegovina will be out to capitalise on their momentum by earning a win on Friday that could act as a springboard, with their eyes pointed towards Euro 2028.

However, the visitors have only come out on top in one of their last six matches when playing as the away side, a 4-2 penalty shootout victory against Wales following a 1-1 stalemate after extra time in late March.

Poland friendlies form:

Bosnia-Herzegovina form (all competitions):

Team News

Poland will be without left-sided forward Adrian Benedyczak, who is dealing with a broken wrist, and attacking midfielder Filip Rozga, who has a muscle injury to contend with.

That being said, Karol Swiderski should be on hand to join Robert Lewandowski up top once again, while Aston Villa's Matty Cash and Sabah's Tymoteusz Puchacz provide support from wing-back.

Elsewhere, Nicola Zalewski, Piotr Zielinski and Sebastian Szymanski are likely to patrol the centre of the park, hoping to provide stability for the hosts.

Meanwhile, Bosnia-Herzegovina look set to be led by their own veteran striker, Edin Dzeko, who should operate alongside Stuttgart's Ermedin Demirovic, with Kerim Alajbegovic in a number 10 role.

In defence, Barbarez could opt for centre-backs Nikola Katic, Stjepan Radeljic and Tarik Muharemovic in front of goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj.

Poland possible starting lineup:

Bulka; Bednarek, Wisniewski, Kawior; Cash, Zalewski, Zielinski, Szymanski, Puchacz; Swiderski, Lewandowski

Bosnia-Herzegovina possible starting lineup:

Vasilj; Katic, Radeljic, Muharemovic; Bajraktarevic, Gigovic, Sunjic, Kolasinac; Alajbegovic; Dzeko, Demirovic

We say: Poland 1-1 Bosnia-Herzegovina

Poland will be desperate to make a strong start to the Nations League after missing out on the World Cup, led by Lewandowski, who is sure to be a threat in the box.

Bosnia-Herzegovina have struggled on the road in recent months, but they will be motivated by their summer and could earn a point in Warsaw, as Dzeko's retirement inches closer.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.