Match: World Cup Qualifying - Europe
Fixture: Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Italy
Local Kick-off Time: Mar 31, 2026 7.45pm
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ODDS
| Category | Selection | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1X2 | 1 | 4.75 |
| 1X2 | X | 3.40 |
| 1X2 | 2 | 1.80 |
| Asian Handicap | +0.5 | 1.95 |
| Asian Handicap | -0.5 | 1.85 |
| Goals (Scored) | Goals | 2/2.5 |
| Goals (Scored) | Over | 2.00 |
| Goals (Scored) | Under | 1.80 |
Prediction: Italy -1 (90 minutes)
Playing away in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Italy will face fierce resistance from thousands of home supporters. Italy will adopt their familiar three-centre-back formation for this game. Mateo Retegui may be replaced by Pio Esposito or Gianluca Scamacca in the starting lineup. In-form Sandro Tonali will be the key player for Italy to secure victory. Italy need to avoid conceding a late set-piece equalizer like they did against Wales.
The Asian handicap sets Italy at -1 goal, showing strong favouritism towards the Azzurri. We trust Italy to claim an away win within 90 minutes.
Comprehensive Prediction Analysis:
Bosnia-Herzegovina
A World Cup winner two decades ago, Gennaro Gattuso must now lead Italy to Bosnia in search of a crucial playoff victory - while defeat would be devastating.
This will be the seventh meeting between the two sides, and Bosnia-Herzegovina have only one victory to their name: a surprise 2-1 win in their first encounter, a 1996 friendly in Sarajevo. Much has changed since then, yet both teams are chasing their first World Cup finals spot since 2014, with just one win needed to qualify.
After captain Edin Dzeko scored a late equalizer in the playoff semi-final, Bosnia beat Wales on penalties in Cardiff to reach this final. Another victory will seal their spot in Group B of the 2026 World Cup alongside co-hosts Canada, Qatar and Switzerland. Italy were destined for the playoffs after a heavy opening defeat to Norway, while Bosnia narrowly missed out on automatic qualification.
Conceding a late draw against group winners Austria in November cost them direct qualification, but they now have another chance to reach only their second major tournament since independence. Cold weather and a compact, partisan home stadium will favour Bosnia in Zenica, despite being 58 places below Italy in the FIFA rankings.
The 40-year-old Edin Dzeko, a former Inter and Roma striker, is his nation's all-time top scorer with 73 goals, including six in this qualifying campaign. He will partner Ermedin Demirovic upfront, while Serie A centre-backs Tarik Muharmovic and Sead Kolasinac are experienced at stopping Italian attackers. Dennis Hadzikadunic is the key absentee for the hosts, while three Sturm Graz players miss out on selection.
| Date/Competition | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/03/27 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Wales | 1-1 (PEN 2-4, HT 0-0 FT 1-1) | Bosnia-Herzegovina |
| 2025/11/19 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Austria | 1-1 (HT 0-1 FT 1-1) | Bosnia-Herzegovina |
| 2025/11/16 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 3-1 (HT 0-1 FT 3-1) | Romania |
| 2025/10/13 International Friendly | Malta | 1-4 (HT 0-1 FT 1-4) | Bosnia-Herzegovina |
| 2025/10/10 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Cyprus | 2-2 (HT 1-2 FT 2-2) | Bosnia-Herzegovina |
| 2025/09/10 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 1-2 (HT 0-0 FT 1-2) | Austria |
| 2025/09/07 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | San Marino | 0-6 (HT 0-1 FT 0-6) | Bosnia-Herzegovina |
| 2025/06/11 International Friendly | Slovenia | 2-1 (HT 0-0 FT 2-1) | Bosnia-Herzegovina |
| 2025/06/07 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 1-0 (HT 0-0 FT 1-0) | San Marino |
| 2025/03/25 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 2-1 (HT 1-1 FT 2-1) | Cyprus |
Italy
Italy have been haunted by consecutive World Cup qualification failures, with immense pressure to qualify this time around.
The four-time world champions won Euro 2021 but have not featured at the World Cup for seven years. This is their third straight World Cup qualifying playoff campaign, having lost to Sweden and North Macedonia previously, though they overcame Northern Ireland 2-0 in the semi-final thanks to second-half goals from Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean.
Despite winning most of their group games, two heavy 3-goal defeats to Norway exposed defensive vulnerabilities for Italy. On the positive side, head coach Gennaro Gattuso has boosted attacking output, averaging over two goals per game since taking charge last September.
Gattuso may keep the starting lineup from the Northern Ireland game, though Mateo Retegui could make way for in-form striker Pio Esposito, who has scored key goals for Inter recently. Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Federico Chiesa are sidelined this month, but Alessandro Bastoni, Gianluca Mancini and Riccardo Calafiori have recovered from minor injuries. Gianluca Scamacca struggles with an adductor issue, leaving Retegui, Kean and Esposito competing for forward spots.
| Date/Competition | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/03/27 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Italy | 2-0 (HT 0-0 FT 2-0) | Northern Ireland |
| 2025/11/17 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Italy | 1-4 (HT 1-0 FT 1-4) | Norway |
| 2025/11/14 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Moldova | 0-2 (HT 0-0 FT 0-2) | Italy |
| 2025/10/15 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Italy | 3-0 (HT 1-0 FT 3-0) | Israel |
| 2025/10/12 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Estonia | 1-3 (HT 0-2 FT 1-3) | Italy |
| 2025/09/09 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Israel | 4-5 (HT 1-1 FT 4-5) | Italy |
| 2025/09/06 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Italy | 5-0 (HT 0-0 FT 5-0) | Estonia |
| 2025/06/10 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Italy | 2-0 (HT 1-0 FT 2-0) | Moldova |
| 2025/06/07 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Norway | 3-0 (HT 3-0 FT 3-0) | Italy |
| 2025/03/24 UEFA Nations League | Germany | 3-3 (HT 3-0 FT 3-3) | Italy |
Final Prediction:
Asian Handicap: Italy -1 (90 minutes)
European Handicap: Italy Win (90 minutes)
Predicted Scores: 0-2, 1-2, 1-3
Predicted Total Goals: 2, 3, 4
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