LOS ANGELES, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Bosnia and Herzegovina, who knocked Italy out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, is expecting to repeat the success by beating Group B leader Switzerland in Thursday's clash.
"We come for three points," Bosnia coach Sergej Barbarez told a pre-match press conference on Wednesday. "This is the World Cup, and we observe every single game as a final."
In Group B first round, Canada tied Bosnia 1-1, and Switzerland was held 1-1 by Qatar. The four teams had one point and one goal each, making their group standings decided by the number of yellow and red cards and the latest FIFA rankings. Switzerland leads the group, while Bosnia sits bottom.
Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko, 40, did not feature in the Canada game in Toronto. Barbarez said that Dzeko is fit but didn't confirm the striker's starting place in the Switzerland game.
Switzerland sits 19th in the latest FIFA world rankings, while Bosnia ranks 63rd.
Eyeing to make another upset over a powerhouse, Barbarez said, "When we were playing against Italy in the playoffs, we had a similar sort of sentiment publicly, but we stayed focused on ourselves."
Bosnia eliminated Italy in a penalty shootout in a tense playoff in March.
Bosnia defender Nikola Katic said that the team had not received the attention their achievement deserved, as nearly all the focus had been on Italy failing to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.
"We managed to beat one of the biggest nations in the history of football. And I think after that we didn't get the credit we deserve, and it was more spoken about 'bad Italy' than 'good Bosnia,'" he said.
"For us, it was a great achievement, and it was a win that is going to boost our confidence for the future."
In its last World Cup appearance in Brazil 2014, Bosnia failed to advance beyond the group stage. ■
