It’s time for the second round of fixtures in Group B of the World Cup, which is turning out to be far more competitive than we expected—though not entirely because of the quality of all the teams. So far, all four teams have one point each, so things are getting serious.
The group’s heavy favourites, Switzerland, dominated their first match, but that wasn’t enough for them to win. Qatar equalized seconds before the end in the 94th minute following an own goal by Miro Muheim, who had come on as a substitute just five minutes earlier.
Switzerland took a whopping 26 shots and finished with 3.20 xG, but their only goal came from a penalty kick. This lack of efficiency in the final third won’t be enough against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada.
Bosnia and Herzegovina also let a win slip away after taking an early lead against co-hosts Canada, but in their case, the point can definitely be considered a success.
Bosnia showed they can be very dangerous on the counterattack and aren’t afraid to play more aggressively. With this draw, Sergej Barbarez’s team is now on a nine-game unbeaten streak, and their chances of advancing from the group are certainly better.
How the bookies view it: The Red Crosses will claim their first win
As we expected, Switzerland will be the clear favourite in each of their group-stage matches, though their advantage in this match is far smaller than it was in their opener against Qatar.
Currently, you can back Switzerland at 11/20, a draw at 16/5, or Bosnia and Herzegovina at 19/4.
Recent head-to-head: Bosnia punished Switzerland in Zurich 10 years ago
This won’t be the first time these two nations have faced off, but it will be their first official match. They’ve met once before, in 2016, in a friendly match, when Bosnia won 2-0 as the visiting team in Zurich.
Players to watch: Embolo is still the man for the job
Switzerland’s Granit Xhaka was one of the best players on the field against Qatar, and you can always count on him to dominate the midfield. Breel Embolo was once again the hero for Switzerland with his penalty kick goal, which now puts him in 8th place on the country’s all-time scoring list. One more goal and he’ll climb to 7th place.
Alternatively, Bet365 offer 3/5 for Dan Ndoye to make at least one shot on target. While Embolo scored the penalty, Ndoye was the most active Swiss player in the final third against Qatar, taking a total of six shots. Two of them were on target.
Probable line-ups
Switzerland: Kobel, Rodriguez, Akanji, Elvedi, Zakaria, Freuler, Xhaka, Aebischer, Ndoye, Embolo, Manzambi
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Vasilj, Kolasinac, Muharemovic, Katic, Dedic, Alajbegovic, Basic, Tahirovic, Bajraktarevic, Demirovic, Lukic
Anything else catch the eye?
This match is shaping up to be much more competitive than Switzerland’s first one, and they failed to win that one either. Bosnia and Herzegovina haven’t lost in nine consecutive matches and are definitely doing a great job on defense, but their offensive play certainly leaves something to be desired.
We don’t expect to see a high-scoring thriller here, but rather Switzerland controlling the game and scoring a single goal to decide the match. However, we do expect to see quite a few cards in this match, especially given how crucial the three points are here and the fact that the teams are European rivals.
The referee for this match will be Joao Pinheiro, who often allows rougher play but isn’t afraid to hand out plenty of cards. During the 2025/26 season, he officiated 29 matches, averaging 4.38 cards per game.
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