Match News and Current Form

Finishing as one of the best third-placed finishers is the realistic ceiling of both of these sides’ ambitions, and Bosnia only have themselves to blame on that front after being thumped 4-1 by Switzerland in the last round. A top-two finish remains mathematically possible for Bosnia, but they’d need Canada to lose heavily in the group’s other game and also win handsomely here, something which seems unlikely having won none of their last six matches inside 90 minutes (D6, L1). Snapping that here would at least secure a third-place finish, allowing them to watch on as they wait to see if that’s enough to progress, but one win from eight competitive games inside 90 minutes (D5, L2) is a negative omen they’ll have to overcome if they’re to do so.

Qatar’s predicament almost perfectly mirrors Bosnia’s, as they too need all three points to have any chance of progressing as a best third-placed finisher. Like their opponents, they too can mathematically finish in the top two, but they need a heavy Switzerland defeat and a big victory of their own, which owes largely to the 6-0 hammering they endured against Canada on matchday two after suffering two red cards. Scoring a paltry three goals in their last eight internationals, none of which they won (D3, L5), highlights the size of the task at hand here to even sneak into third, and given the last four of those defeats came without reply, Qatar could well bow out with a whimper here.