Focus Fixture: Will England put in a positive performance against Bosnia

England and Bosnia-Herzegovina square off at St. James’s Park on Monday night. Gareth Southgate is ramping up preparations for the European Championships as the Three Lions hope to end their long trophy drought. 

The Form

England are just ahead of France in the outright betting for the European Championships. Excitement levels are reaching fever pitch as the tournament draws nearer. The English national team haven’t tasted success in a major tournament since 1966 but many feel the current crop of players could change that. 

Gareth Southgate’s side navigated their way through a tricky qualifying group with ease. They finished six points ahead of Italy and Ukraine as they topped group C. England won six and drew two of their matches.

It’s worth noting that England come into this match on a run of three matches without a win. They drew 2-2 with Belgium and lost 1-0 against Brazil in March’s international friendlies. They will be hoping to get back to winning ways before they touch down in Germany.

Bosnia will play no part in this summer’s tournament. They picked up just nine points in their qualifying campaign; finishing below Portugal, Slovakia, Luxembourg and Iceland. The team were handed another chance of qualifying via the playoffs thanks to their performance in the Nations League but they were beaten by Ukraine. 

Sergej Barbarez has only taken charge of five matches as manager of Bosnia. The team beat Liechtenstein in his first but have lost their four games since. They approach Monday night’s match fearing the worst.

The Runners and Riders

Gareth Southgate has plenty of options available to him for this one. He is expected to assess some of his fringe players before he cuts his squad down to 26 players ahead of the UEFA deadline of June 7. The likes of Konsa, Guehi and Eze can expect to get minutes against Bosnia. England are very unlikely to be at full strength but whatever team takes to the field should be capable of recording a comprehensive victory.

Edin Dzeko is the standout name for Bosnia. The former Manchester City striker now plays for Fenerbahce. Krunic plays with Dzeko at club level and is another player who has featured for a top European side in the past.

What They Said

Gareth Southgate admitted it would be hard for some of the younger players to force their way into his final squad. He said when talking to those players, “Look, we don’t know how this is going to play out but let the start point be that this should be a great experience for you, coming to train with us. The chances are you might not be coming all the way with us”. However, the England manager confirmed there is a chance, saying “Equally, things can happen and they can force their way in. I think they understand that.”

Sergej Barbarez wants to bring back the glory days for the Bosnian national team. He has been talking to the press ahead of the meeting with England. The head coach said, “We want this team to be successful and respected again, but more than that, we want it to be loved again. The national team lost its importance and appeal for players and for the fans. Playing for the national team has lost its cult status. We want players to feel proud and excited again for playing for their country. That is the first step.”

Selection

Our single bet for England vs Bosnia is for the home side to win the match without conceding a goal.

Gareth Southgate’s side are bug favourites for this one and it’s hard to see anything other than a win. They also boast an exceptional record in their recent competitive matches. England conceded an average of 0.5 goals per game across their eight matches in qualifying. They averaged 2.75 goals per game themselves over that period. Italy are the only side that managed to score when they travelled to England in those matches. 

Bosnia have scored in four of their five matches under the new boss. The game they failed to score in was against Portugal and this one could play out in a similar manner. Barbarez’s side managed to force just one save from the goalkeeper in that 5-0 defeat. 

Recommended Bet: England to win and both teams to score – no @ 1.75

Bet Builder Tip

We are backing Eberechi Eze to score as part of our bet builder tip. Eze has impressed for Crystal Palace this season. Since his return from injury, he has flourished with Oliver Glasner pushing the Eagles to attack. He has the pace and quality to make his mark with England as he looks to make it into the squad for Euro 2024.

Eze scored five goals and assisted two in the last five Premier League games of the season. His superb showing in the 5-0 win over Aston Villa on the final day of the season was a particular highlight. The winger should be full of confidence here. Eze’s non-penalty xG of 0.36 per 90 minutes played last season meant he ranked in the 91st percentile when compared with all other attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues.

The next angle is under 8.5 corners in the match. Corners are often scarce in England matches thanks to their patient approach and ability to dominate possession for longer periods. Their qualifying matches saw an average of 6.38 corners with seven of those eight games seeing eight corners or fewer.

Our main betting angle of England to win and keep a clean sheet is also part of this builder to give us a bigger price.

Recommended Bet: Eberechi Eze to score, Under 8.5 corners, England to win and both teams to score – no @ 4.70