England take on the visitors Bosnia in a Friendly International match. The match will be played on Monday, June 3rd at St. James' Park (Newcastle).
England under Southgate's management have achieved a lot with this generation. They are no longer just a nominal powerhouse due to their status as the founders of football, but a genuinely strong team that reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and narrowly lost to Italy in the penalty shootout of the last Euro final. However, there have also been setbacks, such as their poor performance in the recent Nations League, where they failed to perform well and finished last in their group. In the current qualifiers, after securing their spot (beating everyone, including Italy twice, with only Ukraine holding them to a 1-1 draw), they only managed a draw against North Macedonia in the final round. In March, they lost at home to Brazil and were close to a similar outcome against Belgium, only managing a 2-2 draw in added time. It seems there are issues with maintaining results without strong motivation. However, the players should now give their best effort: by leaving Henderson and Rashford out of the squad, Southgate has shown that no one's place is guaranteed. Moreover, he has included a couple of newcomers in the team.
| 2 x £10 Free Bet | Review | |||
| 100$-500$ for No Lose Free Bets | Review | |||
| 100% up to £200 | Review | |||
| Not available | Review |
Bosnia has undergone significant changes. The Golden Lilies once again confirmed their unfortunate status as playoff round failures in March. After taking the lead against Ukraine in Zenica, they conceded twice in the final moments (with Yaremchuk coming off the bench to score and assist), ultimately losing 1-2. This marked the end of Savo Milošević's short stint as coach. He was replaced by another former striker, this time a local legend – Sergej Barbarez. Barbarez was Bosnia's best forward before Džeko, but at 52, he has no notable coaching experience. The squad has seen significant changes. Pjanić and Šehić announced their international retirements, and about ten other players, including some regular starters, were left out of the squad. However, there are 9 new names who could make their debut at this level against England.
This will be the first time England faces this Balkan opponent – they have not played any friendly or official matches before. The Three Lions are overdue to break their extended poor run. Playing at home against an inexperienced team with a new, untested coach, they are expected to win. Bet on England to win in Newcastle with a -1.5 goal handicap (odds – 1.65 from Pinnacle).
Prediction for the match: England to win with -1.5 handicap.
