Roberto Morales, a well-known Ukrainian journalist and commentator, has prepared a forecast for the Euro 2024 play-off match between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ukraine.
"In Zenica, Ukraine will try to prove that it really deserves to play at Euro 2024. Taking third place in the subgroup with England and Italy was a normal and expected result. Moreover, in the final match against the Azzurri, the Ukrainians forced the reigning European champions to play purely to keep the score tied.
At first glance, the Bosnians look like a rather mediocre team. The biggest names in the team, Pjanic and Djeko, are veterans who have long since passed the peak of their careers. Although Miralem is younger than Edin, this statement applies to him in the first place.
However, it should not be forgotten that in 2021, in the qualifiers for the World Cup, the Ukrainians played a problematic home match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. It ended with a 1-1 scoreline, but our compatriots won 2-0 away from home.
At the moment, Ukraine's main problems are in defence. Unlike Ilya Zabarnyi, Mykola Matvienko looks rather controversial in his recent performances, but he will most likely be in the side. Taras Stepanenko will need to be replaced in the support area. Judging by the list of called-up players, this function will be entrusted to Serhiy Sydorchuk, despite the fact that he himself admits a certain decline in his performances in the Belgian championship.
The attacking group of Serhii Rebrov's team looks solid enough, even with questions about Viktor Tsygankov. Roman Yaremchuk claims the centre-forward position with arguments no worse than Artem Dovbyk, although it was hard to believe a month ago. The bet is that Ukraine will not lose and both teams will score goals," Morales said.