Bosnia and Herzegovina head coach Sergej Barbarez has announced a final 26-player squad for two UEFA Nations League matches in November. The team will play away to Sweden on November 14th before hosting Romania in Zenica three days later.
Barbarez has selected four goalkeepers, ten defenders, ten midfielders and five forwards. Among them is Amar Dedić, who returns after missing the September and October international breaks with a recurring hamstring issue. His comeback provides experienced defensive options alongside Sead Kolašinac. The defensive group also includes Leeds United's Tarik Muharemović and Schalke's Nikola Katić.
The 26-man roster blends established stars and emerging talents. Alongside Dedić and Kolašinac, defenders called up include Nihad Mujakić, Arjan Malić, Stjepan Radeljić, Dennis Hadžikadunić and Zinedin Smajlović. The midfield features Ivan Bašić, who scored the only goal in the last win against Poland, Armin Gigović, Benjamin Tahirović and Kerim Alajbegović, who netted the equaliser against Sweden last month. The forward line is led by Ermedin Demirović, Haris Tabaković, Jovo Lukić, Samed Baždar and Matej Deket.
The coach stressed that continuity was the priority for these important fixtures. "The last four matches have given us plenty of reasons to be satisfied," Barbarez said. "We have seen a team that believes in itself, fights hard and knows exactly what it wants to achieve on the pitch."
The national team enters this window with positive results from its last four outings. After a draw with Poland (0-0) and a high-scoring win in Romania (4-2), the side drew 1-1 with Sweden before beating Poland 1-0 last weekend. That result, secured by an Ivan Bašić penalty in the 84th minute, earned three points and confirmed the progress made. Now the team has a chance to build on that run, with the first test coming away to Sweden in Solna on Saturday.
The current Nations League standings and positioning can be checked on the league table. The squad will gather for a training camp in Sarajevo before departing for Sweden. Both matches will kick off at 20:45 and be broadcast live on BHRT.
The next fixture after this double-header is a friendly against Italy in March, which will serve as the final preparation before the summer World Cup qualifiers. In the Nations League, Bosnia and Herzegovina currently sits second in its group, with seven points from four matches played, putting them in a strong position for promotion.
The report in full is at sarajevotimes.com
