Bosnia-Herzegovina are seeking their first win in the European World Cup qualifiers as they host France in a Group D clash at Stadion Grbavica. The French are unbeaten in the competition and should have too much quality for the hosts.
The Bosnians are coming off a 0-0 draw against Costa Rica in a friendly on Saturday. It was a drab affair with neither team creating too many clear-cut scoring opportunities.
The result followed another draw as they were held 2-2 by Finland in their opening match in the qualifiers. They scored first through Miralem Pjanic but were breached twice by the Finns before Miroslav Stevanovic salvaged a draw six minutes from time.
Ivaylo Petev's men are currently on a 10-match winless run with their last victory coming in September 2019. The major problem has been a leaky defence with just one clean sheet in their last six matches.
France bounced back from their opening day draw against Ukraine with a 2-0 victory over Kazakhstan on Sunday. They were comfortable all through and even missed a penalty as Ousmane Dembele and an own goal from Sergiy Maliy sealed the win.
The win means Didier Deschamps’ men have now claimed control of the group as they now sit two points clear of Finland. They have suffered just one defeat in their last 12 matches, claiming nine wins in that run.
The French also have a fine record on the road, winning their last seven away matches.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed France as favourites with an away win priced at 41/100 by novibet. Vbet is offering 10/1 for a win for Bosnia-Herzegovina while a draw is set at odds of 15/4 by bet365.
Given France's away record, I am backing them to secure the win on Wednesday.
Head to head
France have never lost to Bosnia-Herzegovina with two wins and two draws from four previous matches. The last meeting between both teams was a 1-1 draw during the Euro 2012 qualifiers.
Players to watch
Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty against Kazakhstan but is still one of the biggest attacking threat for France. The PSG forward is priced at 6/5 by Vbet to score anytime while the first goal is valued at 7/2 by the same firm.
Captain Edin Dzeko is yet to get off the mark in the qualifiers but remains Bosnia's major source of goals. Paddy Power is backing the striker at 7/2 in the anytime goalscorer market while the first goal is set at odds of 10/1 by betfair.
Anything else catch the eye?
There is likely to be plenty of goalmouth action in Wednesday’s match and Unibet is offering evens for over 2.5 goals. Over 3.5 goals is priced at 11/4 by Skybet while Unibet is offering 13/8 on both teams to score.
A win/goals double could increase the value of your bet with betway offering 13/10 for a France win and over 2.5 goals. The French could also be backed to earn a halftime win at evens with Sport Nation.
This World Cup match between Bosnia-Herzegovina and France will be played on Mar 31, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Bosnia-Herzegovina vs France prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
