Germany vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina: Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

On Saturday, Germany will host Bosnia-Herzegovina at the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg. They can almost ensure first place in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League with only a point to spare.

Even if they have had a terrible run of results, Julian Nagelsmann's team has already guaranteed a place in the quarterfinals, and their opponents are still in the hunt.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Germany, still smarting after their humiliating quarterfinal elimination at the European Championships this summer, will soon have another opportunity to put the past behind them. Nagelsmann's squad qualified for the Nations League quarterfinals with two games to spare.

Die Mannschaft have only lost twice in their first four Group 3 matches, with a 2-1 victory over future opponents Bosnia last month and a recent loss to the Netherlands caused by another national team star who goes unrecognized. Undav was instrumental in the victory.

Just over an hour into the match against the Dutch, debutant Jamie Leweling scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory. Germany now leads Hungary and the Netherlands by five points and is on the verge of sealing their title as group champions.

The Germans will secure first place with a win on Saturday; a draw would only be insufficient if Hungary beats the Netherlands simultaneously and then thrash Nagelsmann's squad by more than five goals on the last matchday.

This is completely out of the question for the 2014 World Cup champions, but a victory this weekend would end Bosnia-Herzegovina's slim chances of finishing in the top two and remove the smallest speck of uncertainty.

Unless anything extraordinary happens this month, Bosnia-Herzegovina will likely maintain its trend of promotion followed by instant relegation, as it has been doing since the first Nations League in 2018–19.

The Golden Lilies have struggled to gain any traction in League A Group 3. Despite a scoreless draw against Hungary on September 10, their most recent match ended in a 2-0 loss due to a brace from Dominik Szoboszlai.

That crushing setback, along with their previous defeats to Germany and the Netherlands (5-2), means that Bosnia must win their match and hope the other game between Hungary and the Dutch ends in a draw if they want to advance to the next round.

Since Sergej Barbarez's team has gone winless in all tournaments since defeating Liechtenstein in a 2023 Euros qualification, it is more probable that they would suffer the loss that will consign them to League B.

Except for a 2010 friendly loss to Die Mannschaft in which current captain Edin Dzeko scored the first goal and Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger staged a comeback, Bosnia has lost nine of their ten matches in Germany.

Germany x Bosnia-Herzegovina Team News

Stuttgart forward Undav, who scored twice in October's victory over Bosnia, will not play on Saturday because of an injury. Teammate Angelo Stiller will also not be available for selection because of a muscle issue.

Additionally, Nagelsmann may refrain from employing Florian Wirtz, a top player for Bayer Leverkusen, since he is unwell and Nico Schlotterbeck is banned.

This month, Nagelsmann can only bring in one uncapped player, and he's a high-profile one: Stefan Ortega of Manchester City, who fights for the gloves with Oliver Baumann and Alexander Nubel, both of whom have one cap.

With Sead Kolasinac out with an injury and Bosnia's Nikola Katic banned for accumulating yellow cards, Barbarez has an even more daunting problem in trying to replace Kolasinac.

Defensively, either Nihad Mujakic or Tarik Muharemovic, who is now on loan at Sassuolo from Juventus, should step up, while Edin Dzeko, who has been captain for a long time, is in line to earn his 139th cap.

The 38-year-old former Manchester City champion is still going strong for Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce; he joins Jose Mourinho's national squad after scoring 11 goals in 19 games this season.

Our Predictions

Germany to win and over 2.5 goals @ 1.35 on Sky247.ng

After giving Germany a fight for their money in Bosnia, the Golden Lilies will face a Mannschaft squad that Nagelsmann has admitted is still dealing with injuries.

But Saturday's hosts should cruise to a resounding win against their one-point opponents, ensuring the destiny of both teams heading into the last matchday.

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