They’re big favourites but we’ll show them who’s BOS

BARA INSISTS PLAY-OFF RIVALS HAVE FLAWS AS WELL AS CLASS

IAN BARACLOUGH accepts the bookies are right to install Bosnia and Herzegovina as favourites for Thursday’s Euro 2020 play-off in Sarajevo.

But he is confident Northern Ireland can cause a shock at Stadion Grbavica and progress to next month’s play-off final against either the Republic of Ireland or Slovakia.

The Bosnians are playing in the top tier of the Nations League and can call upon star names such as Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic.

Roma striker Dzeko has scored a remarkable 59 goals in 109 games for his country while classy playmaker Pjanic recently joined Barcelona from Juventus.

Baraclough, who met up with his players in Belfast last night, said: “Bosnia are on a higher echelon from us. Their big players – Dzeko and Pjanic – anybody would pick them out as being key players but they’ve got other players in all areas we need to focus on as well.

“At the same time, there are areas we think they are fallible, where we can get at them in the right way and use our strengths.

“We will definitely go into this game as the underdogs but we hope to come away with a positive result and surprise one or two people.”

While Northern Ireland are under new management in Baraclough, the same can be said of Bosnia who saw Dusan Bajevic replace Robert Prosinecki last December.

Because of the global pandemic, Bajevic took charge for the first time last month when he oversaw a 1-1 draw in Italy and 2-1 home defeat to Poland in the Nations League.

“They have changed a little since the new coach took over from Prosinecki and there’s a slightly different look to them,” said Baraclough. “The way Bajevic is going about it is slightly different to Prosinecki and I don’t think he’s just as cavalier in his set-up.”

Meanwhile, Baraclough hopes Bosnia have been lulled into a false sense of security after Northern Ireland’s 5-1 rout at the hands of Norway last month.

“I hope Bosnia go into this game off the back of that and think it will be an easy task for them because we were unrecognisable in that game,” he said. “The message I got across to the players after the Norway game was it’s got no bearing on this game. This play-off is under totally different circumstances.”

Baraclough, who r e p l a c e d Mi c h a e l

O’ Neill as national boss in June, is bidding to become only the fourth manager to lead

Northern Ireland to a major tournament.

BOSNIA’S DANGERMEN Striker Edin Dzeko and Barcelona’s Miralem Pjanic (below) are world class stars