Bosnia and Herzegovina — Italy Prediction, H2H and Probable Lineups — 31 March 2026
On March 31, 2026, in the FIFA World Cup Qualification, Bosnia and Herzegovina will host Italy. The match is set to kick off at 20:45 Central European Time. Let’s take a closer look at the potential outcome of this clash.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team showed great character in their World Cup qualification playoff semifinal. During the match, they were trailing 0–1 against the Wales national football team, but managed to equalize late on through Edin Džeko. Eventually, Bosnia and Herzegovina won on penalties to advance to the next round.
Overall, the team had a solid qualification campaign, finishing 2nd in their group, just two points behind the Austria national football team.
In other competitions, Bosnia and Herzegovina competed in the UEFA Nations League top division, but struggled there, collecting only two points and ultimately being relegated to League B.
As for World Cup history, the team failed to qualify for the previous tournament, missing out on even reaching the playoff stage after an unsuccessful campaign.
Looking at head-to-head encounters with the Italy national football team, Bosnia and Herzegovina have had poor results, having never beaten Italy — recording one draw and four defeats in their meetings.
Italy
The Italy national football team secured a confident 2–0 victory over the Northern Ireland national football team in their playoff semifinal. During the qualification campaign, Italy suffered two defeats to the Norway national football team, but won all their other matches. Once again, they are fighting for a place at the FIFA World Cup through the playoffs.
In the previous World Cup qualification cycle, Italy suffered a shocking defeat to the North Macedonia national football team and failed to qualify for the tournament. Similarly, in 2018, they lost to the Sweden national football team and also missed out. The last time Italy played at a World Cup was in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
Currently, Italy are in strong form and are considered favorites for this matchup. They have won seven of their last eight games, scoring first in seven of those matches. Defensively, the team has also been solid, keeping clean sheets in five of their last eight games.
In head-to-head meetings against the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team, Italy have also looked convincing, conceding in just one of their last four encounters. Overall, matches between these teams tend to be low-scoring, with the last three meetings finishing under 2.5 goals.
Probable Lineups
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: Vasilj, Kolasinac, Muharemovic, Katic, Gigovic, Memic, Tahirovic, Sunjic, Bajraktarevic, Demirovic, Dzeko
- Italy: Donnarumma, Mancini, Bastoni, Calafiori, Politano, Barella, Locatelli, Tonali, Dimarco, Kean, Retegui
Key Facts and Head-to-Head
- Bosnia and Herzegovina have won or drawn 6 of their last 7 matches.
- Italy have won 7 of their last 8 matches.
- Italy have won 4 of the last 5 head-to-head meetings.
- The last 3 head-to-head meetings have seen under 2.5 goals.
Bosnia and Herzegovina — Italy Prediction
Both teams come into this matchup in decent form, but the overall quality clearly favors Italy. Bosnia and Herzegovina showed character in the playoffs, but against a stronger and more experienced opponent, their limitations could become evident. Italy, on the other hand, are in strong form, winning seven of their last eight matches and showing stability on both ends of the pitch. They also have a clear edge in head-to-head meetings, consistently outperforming Bosnia and Herzegovina in recent years. Considering the difference in squad quality, Italy’s consistency, and their strong record in this matchup, the visitors are expected to control the game and secure a victory. Recommended bet: Italy to win — 1.57
