Northern Ireland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina Predictions

Northern Ireland are aiming for another European Championship appearance after their impressive run at Euro 2016. The Green and White Army are looking for more tournament success, and with Michael O’Neill rejecting Scotland to stay at Windsor Park, things are looking up for them. Their latest test comes on Saturday, as Bosnia and Herzegovina make the trip to Belfast. Can they kick off this UEFA Nations League campaign with a victory, or will the hosts repeat their strong qualifying form of late?

A 1-0 loss to Switzerland in the play-offs stopped Northern Ireland from making the World Cup last summer. Following that, Michael O’Neill considered his position, and looked towards the Scotland job as a potential step up. However, a new six year deal with the IFA keeps him at Windsor Park for three straight qualification campaigns, as they look to repeat the success which brought them to France two years ago. Even their World Cup push was strong enough to raise O’Neill’s stock, as they trailed Germany in their group, but finished ahead of Norway and the Czech Republic.

Bosnia and Herzegovina missed out on the play-offs for the World Cup, losing out to Greece. Their hopes of making the Euros in 2016 faded on the Island of Ireland, as they lost out in Dublin in a play-off with the Republic of Ireland. A 3-1 aggregate loss saw Bosnia lose out, and they’ll be pushing to take both chances to make the next European Championships in the summer of 2020. The Nations League brings that chance, while if either of these two top their group, they’ll be promoted to the highest tier of Europe’s new competition, which would be impressive for either of these nations.

However, Bosnia just don’t seem to be getting the most from their side right now. A poor push for the World Cup doesn’t compare well to Northern Ireland, who edged out some solid sides in their push for Russia. The hosts have built recent success on great home form, supplemented with away points were possible. The Ulstermen managed to win their first four home World Cup qualifiers without conceding in the last campaign. Before a loss to world champions Germany, NI were unbeaten in competitive home games for over four years.

This isn’t a side of the stature of Germany they face this weekend. Bosnia lost at Belgium and Cyprus in their World Cup qualifiers, while their last visit to Ireland brought a 2-0 defeat. We’re backing Northern Ireland Draw No Bet, which seems like value given how consistent they’ve been at home in competitive clashes over recent years.