Bosnia and Herzegovina: Serie A duo joins Dzeko to challenge Italy for World Cup spot
Defenders Sead Kolasinac and Tarik Muharemovic are the only Serie A players in the Bosnia and Herzegovina squad, which, however, is led by ex-Inter, Fiorentina and Roma star Edin Dzeko.
Bosnia and Herzegovina will host Italy in Zenica next Tuesday for the World Cup play-off Final.
Dzeko’s teammates beat Wales away on penalties last night, while the Azzurri secured a 2-0 victory over Northern Ireland.
Dzeko himself played a key role in Bosnia’s win, scoring a late equaliser in the 86th minute that sent the game to extra time and then penalties.
A former Serie A star, 40-year-old Dzeko is Bosnia’s captain and leader with 73 goals in 147 matches at an international level.
He spent the first part of the season at Fiorentina, but left the Franchi in the January window to join Schalke 04, where he has netted six times in eight appearances in the 2. Bundesliga.
Dzeko, a former Premier League winner with Manchester City, has scored 107 goals in 279 Serie A matches, playing for Inter, Fiorentina and Roma.
Two other familiar faces in the Bosnia squad are Kolasinac (Atalanta) and Muharemovic (Sassuolo), two regular starters in the backline.
Kolasinac, 32, is one of the most experienced Serie A defenders, while Muharemovic is ten years younger and is in his first full season in Serie A.
He’s one of the most promising centre-backs in Italy’s top flight and has proved to be dangerous on both ends with two goals and two assists in 26 league games this term.
Muharemovic played the full 120 minutes for Bosnia against Wales, even producing a brilliant clearance in extra time, while Kolasinac was replaced at minute 62.
A product of the Juventus Academy, Muharemovic had already spoken about a possible meeting with Italy in the World Cup play-off Final this past December.
“I’m not worried, I’ll be waiting for you. At our home,” the Sassuolo defender told Gazzetta.
“I used to be more shy, and I was scared even when I was playing. I had a personality close to my mother’s. Now I’ve become tough like my father. He changed me. He made me understand that, as the older of two sons, when he was away from home, it was my responsibility to protect the family. In the same way, today I feel the duty to defend on the pitch, even the more experienced teammates.”
Another defender in the Bosnia and Herzegovina squad, Dennis Hadzikadunic, plays in Italy with Serie B side Sampdoria, on loan from Rostov.