Romania vs Bosnia and Herzegovina Predictions
Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina meet on Monday in their second Nations League B Group 4 fixture.
Bosnia and Herzegovina picked up a fine point in Poland on Friday, and they will be confident against an out-of-form home side.
In a closed-door fixture in Bucharest, Bosnia and Herzegovina double chance is my best bet.
Recent Stats Favour Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Romania failed to win 5 of their last 7 matches
- Romania failed to win 4 of their last 6 matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bosnia and Herzegovina won 3 of their last 4 matches against Romania
- Bosnia and Herzegovina are unbeaten in 13 of their last 15 matches
Bosnia Hold the Upper Hand in Recent H2H
Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina have met four times since 2020. Bosnia won three of those games, including home and away World Cup qualifiers last year.
Romania Seek First Win Under Hagi
Romania return to Bucharest after a 2-1 defeat in Gheorghe Hagi's first competitive match in charge against Sweden.
Alexander Isak put Sweden ahead before Dennis Man equalised in the 29th minute. Viktor Gyokeres restored the hosts' lead to secure a hard-fought win for Graham Potter’s side.
Hagi’s side struggled to create clear-cut opportunities in Solna. The Tricolours finished the contest with ten shots and a low xG of just 0.51.
Romania are in the process of a rebuild after a 1-0 play-off defeat against Turkey in March ended their hopes of reaching the World Cup.
A June friendly win against Wales was Romania’s only win in their last five games. Three of those games ended in defeat.
Recent competitive results have been similarly unimpressive, with only four wins secured from nine matches, including a pair of victories against minnows San Marino.
The out-of-form hosts will have no home support against Bosnia this week. A UEFA disciplinary sanction means the match in Bucharest will be played behind closed doors.
Bosnia Look to Build on Warsaw Draw
Bosnia and Herzegovina make the trip to Bucharest after a goalless draw against Poland in their Nations League opener on Friday.
While Poland had the better of the opportunities, Sergej Barbarez's side can take confidence from a clean sheet in Warsaw.
Bosnia have proved difficult to beat over the past two years, losing just two of their last 13 matches in 90 minutes.
On the road, the visitors have avoided defeat in competitive away fixtures against Poland, Wales and Austria in the past year.
The visitors can also take confidence from last year’s wins against Romania. They won 1-0 in Bucharest before claiming a 3-1 victory in Zenica.
The Dragons returned to Nations League action after reaching the World Cup knockout stage for the first time.
A 2-0 defeat to the United States ended their run in the round of 32.
Romania vs Bosnia and Herzegovina Squads & Team News
Romania Squad
Goalkeepers: Ionut Radu, Otto Hindrich, Valentin Cojocaru
Defenders: Nicusor Bancu, Andrei Burca, Andrei Ratiu, Radu Dragusin, Virgil Ghita, Bogdan Racovitan, Raul Oprut, Lisav Eissat, Andrei Coubis, Andrei Borza, Matei Ilie, Tony Strata
Midfielders: Nicolae Stanciu, Razvan Marin, Alexandru Cicaldau, Marius Marin, Tudor Baluta, Vladimir Screciu, Vlad Dragomir, David Matei, Catalin Cirjan
Forwards: Ianis Hagi, Dennis Man, Valentin Mihaila, Florin Tanase, Darius Olaru, Olimpiu Morutan, Daniel Birligea, Louis Munteanu
Hagi has a large 32-man pool available for selection on Monday. Nine players remained at the training base instead of travelling to Sweden and are expected to come into contention this week.
Daniel Birligea, Marius Marin, Alexandru Cicaldau and Olimpiu Morutan are among those now available.
Denis Dragus is the only reported injury issue for the Romanians.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Squad
Goalkeepers: Mladen Jurkas, Salko Hamzic, Martin Zlomislic
Defenders: Nihad Mujakic, Arjan Malic, Tarik Muharemovic, Sead Kolasinac, Zinedin Smajlovic, Nikola Katic, Stjepan Radeljic
Midfielders: Benjamin Tahirovic, Armin Gigovic, Nail Omerovic, Ivan Basic, Ivan Sunjic, Amar Memic, Ermin Mahmic, Ajdin Hasic, Kerim Alajbegovic, Esmir Bajraktarevic, Luka Djuric
Forwards: Ermedin Demirovic, Jovo Lukic, Haris Tabakovic, Edin Dzeko, Samed Bazdar
Bosnia boss Barbarez is unlikely to make dramatic alterations from the first XI that featured against Poland on Friday.
Edin Dzeko was named in the initial Nations League squad but did not feature in the matchday group in Warsaw. The Schalke forward has since announced he will retire from international football next month.
“Nothing in my career has ever compared to the pride I have felt every single time I wore that shirt,” Dzeko said in an Instagram post. “It was my childhood dream, a dream I carried with me on each of the 151 occasions I had the honour of representing my country.”
Goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj and defender Amar Dedic both missed the trip to Poland, and could remain sidelined this week.