Bosnia plan to attack in must-win Qatar game, coach Barbarez says
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SEATTLE: Bosnia and Herzegovina plan to play a more offensive game when they face Qatar in a must-win game to keep their World Cup hopes alive, coach Sergej Barbarez said on Tuesday (Jun 23).
The two sides play on Wednesday knowing they realistically must win to progress, after Bosnia's opening draw with co-hosts Canada was followed by a chastening defeat by Switzerland in Group B.
A draw would put Bosnia and Qatar on two points, surely not enough to qualify in third place, and Barbarez predicted the high stakes would make for an entertaining contest.
"For us, it's never our goal to defend for 90 minutes," Barbarez told a group of largely Bosnian reporters. "There are always phases of the game when... you let the opponent play."
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"It's not going to be a match of long balls and defending," he added. "It will be two teams that will have to fight to win."
Bosnia expect to be well supported by their fans, who have been visible in large numbers in Seattle this week. Qatar, though, are also set to have a large contingent in the stadium, with sections of Seattle Stadium already marked with Qatari flags on Tuesday evening.
The European side go into the game as favourites and victory would most likely set up a last-32 clash against co-hosts the United States.
But Barbarez said Bosnia, playing in their second World Cup having been eliminated in the group stage in 2014, had to be wary of their opponents.
"Us being or not being favourites to win the match will not change our approach," he said. "Looking at FIFA's ranking, Qatar should be the favourite. They are better ranked than us, so we need to pay attention."
"Form can beat quality sometimes," Barbarez concluded.
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