Little has changed for Gennaro Gattuso since the 2-0 victory over Northern Ireland last Thursday (30), which left Italy one game away from returning to the World Cup after absences in the last two editions. “I still feel the weight of the country on my shoulders,” said the coach.
This Tuesday (31), the four-time world champion team will face Bosnia, at 3:45 pm (Brasília time), in the city of Zenica. The winning team will take a place in group A of the European playoffs and will enter Group B of the World Cup, alongside Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
For the Italians, the possible classification will represent the end of a 12-year agony, which began on June 24, 2014, when the country played its last match in a World Cup. They ended up defeated by Uruguay, 1-0, saying goodbye to the competition in the group stage, with just one victory, over England, who also did not advance to the knockout stage.
Champion for the last time in the 2006 World Cup, Italy ended up absent from the following two editions, in 2018 and 2022. In the first attempt, they fell in the play-offs against Sweden. Then, again in a single game, they were surprised by North Macedonia.
An embarrassment would now have an even greater weight, as this is the first expanded edition of the World Cup, with 48 teams. Until the tournament held in Qatar, 32 countries competed for the cup.
Starting in the painful defeat to North Macedonia in the 2022 playoff semi-final, Donnarumma understands exactly the historical significance of the game against Bosnia. “Only we know what it was like to be defeated by Macedonia in Palermo, and we don’t want to relive those feelings. On the contrary, we want to take Italy back to the place they deserve,” said the goalkeeper.
Italy found itself in this situation again by finishing the European qualifiers in second place in Group I, which had Norway as the leader, qualifying directly for the World Cup.
The Norwegians had 24 points, six more than the Italians, in a group also made up of Israel, Estonia and Moldova — Italy had a difficult time in the direct confrontation with Norway, losing both meetings: 3-0 as a visitor and 4-1 at home.
“In the last few days, I realized that the group is fully motivated and will be ready for the match. We also need a little calm. We must concentrate on the game without worrying too much about what will happen around us,” said Donnarumma.
There will be a small crowd around the players for the size of the match. Host of the clash, Bosnia chose the Bilino Polje stadium as the stage to welcome the Italians. With around 16,000 seats, the venue had its capacity reduced to 9,000 as required by UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) due to security concerns.
Despite being small, the crowd is one of coach Sergej Barbarez’s hopes to put pressure on the Italians. It also has strategies for different game scenarios, whether or not your team comes out ahead on the scoreboard.
“We need to have a plan A, a B and a C. We have to take care of every detail, playing with courage, without fear,” he said. “If we open the scoring, we’ll park a bus in our area. If they score first, we’ll park on the other side.”
As an independent country, Bosnia is seeking its second participation in a World Cup. His first was in 2014, in Brazil. “It’s a very important game for Italy, but it’s also for us. In fact, from our country’s point of view, it’s even more important,” said Barbarez.
Playoff for the World Cup
In addition to the confrontation between Italy and Bosnia, six other teams are competing for three more places allocated to European countries in the 2026 World Cup. All games start at 3:45 pm (Brasília time).
In Sweden, the home team will host Poland. As visitors, Turkey will face Kosovo. Denmark will face the Czech Republic.
In the intercontinental repechage, two places are up for grabs. The Democratic Republic of Congo faces Jamaica, at 6pm (Brasília time). Later, at midnight, Iraq duels with Bolivia. The two games will be played in Mexico, host of the World Cup along with the United States and Canada.
On TV
3:45 pm Bosnia x Italy – SporTV
3:45 pm Sweden x Poland – ESPN
15h45 Kosovo x Turquia – ESPN3
3:45 pm Czech Republic x Denmark – Disney+ Premium
6pm Democratic Republic of Congo x Jamaica – SporTV and CazéTV
0h Iraq x Bolivia – SporTV and CazéTV
