Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Portugal

Bilino Polje forms the backdrop for Bosnia & Herzegovina’s must-win UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier against Portugal.

With three games remaining, Bosnia & Herzegovina’s chances of qualifying for only their second major tournament as an independent nation are hanging by a thread despite a 2-0 triumph at Liechtenstein last time out. Having lost four of their seven Euro 2024 qualifiers (W3), the ‘Dragons’ begin this round four points adrift of runners-up Slovakia, which means anything other than a win here would probably end their qualification hopes. Worryingly for the home fans, the Bosnians have lost four of their five meetings with Portugal from 2009 onwards (D1), failing to get on the scoresheet on four occasions, including a dismal 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture in mid-June. There’s a silver lining for Savo Milosevic’s side, as their performance in the UEFA Nations League offers them an alternate route into next summer’s tournament.

In the meantime, visiting Portugal got their eighth consecutive Euro finals qualification over the line with a dramatic 3-2 home win over Slovakia at the weekend. Despite failing to keep a clean sheet for the first time in the ongoing qualifying cycle, the Euro 2016 winners maintained their 100% win ratio under new manager Roberto Martinez, with Cristiano Ronaldo notching up another brace for his country. Since returning from Qatar, Ronaldo & Co have won all three away internationals, yet the last two have yielded the same 1-0 scoreline, highlighting the potential for a low-scoring fixture. But with 27 goals scored, the visitors are the most prolific side in the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, opening the door to another potential humbling of Bosnia.