Bosnia-Herzegovina v Northern Ireland
1 Bosnia’s big-hitters
In front man Edin Dzeko, midfield maestro Miralem Pjanic and dynamic left-back Sead Kolasinac, the Bosnians boast a triumvirate of trusty eminence with top-drawer experience. With 59 goals in 109 caps, skipper Dzeko has an international strike-rate to die for, while Pjanic – who swapped Juventus for Barcelona in the off-season – could dominate the centre of the park after recovering from coronavirus in August.
2 Baraclough watch
Northern Ireland’s coach got off to a disappointing start to his new role, drawing 1-1 in Romania before a 5-1 thumping at home to Norway. He has a huge challenge in succeeding Michael O’Neill, who was supposed to take charge of these fixtures before the virus struck and he turned his full attention to Stoke City. In 2016, O’Neill took Northern Ireland to their first tournament in 30 years, and Baraclough must find the same magic touch.
3 Northern Ireland’s next generation
At the helm of Northern Ireland’s U21s for three years, Baraclough is in a perfect position to make the continuity factor work for him. Youngsters such as Jamal Lewis, Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Daniel Ballard, Jordan Thompson, Gavin Whyte and Shayne Lavery all played under him and have successfully graduated to the senior set-up, helping to fill the void left by the retired heroes of 2016 like Chris Brunt, Gareth MacAuley and Aaron Hughes.
4 The Sykes affair fall-out
One youngster who won’t be graduating from the U21s however, is Mark Sykes. The Oxford United midfielder represented Northern Ireland at various youth levels, yet recently announced that he would choose the Republic at senior level, following the likes of James McClean and Shane Duffy. The ensuing fall-out has sparked heated debate on both sides of the border, but the question is: will it have any bearing on the mood in the NI camp?
5 Bosnia’s secret weapons
In addition to Bosnia’s established stars, the Balkans have several unknown quantities to watch out for. Right-winger Edin Visca is known as the “Atomic Ant” in Bosnia, and has been so good for Istanbul Basaksehir that the Turkish champions are clamouring for a statue of him at their home stadium. Word has it that the young Swedish-born centre-backs Anel Ahmedhodzic and Dennis Hadzikadunic will also earn their first senior caps.