Sweden Vs Bosnia And Herzegovina takes centre stage on Saturday 14 November at 16:45 hora de Chile for date five of the Liga de Naciones, with both teams arriving in steady form and their line-ups now confirmed. Sweden come in after a 1-0 win over Rumania, while Bosnia y Herzegovina also claimed a 1-0 victory against Polonia, setting up a meeting between two sides that have shown they can get results without needing a flood of goals.
For Sweden, Graham Potter is the coach listed with the starting line-up, and the shape selected for this match is a 4-4-2. Bosnia y Herzegovina are set up in a 3-5-2 under Sergej Barbarez, which should give this contest a clear tactical edge: Sweden’s wide structure against Bosnia y Herzegovina’s extra body in central areas.
The line-ups point to a tight contest
Sweden’s confirmed starting XI features Viktor Johansson, Daniel Svensson, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Hugo Larsson, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Victor Lindelöf, Anthony Elanga, Yasin Ayari, Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyökeres and Sebastian Nanasi. It is a line-up built around balance, with attacking quality clearly present in Isak and Gyökeres, while the back line and midfield look designed to keep the team compact and difficult to play through.
Bosnia y Herzegovina’s confirmed selection includes Martin Zlomislić, Amar Dedić, Ivan Bašić, Sead Kolašinac, Nikola Katić, Stjepan Radeljić, Armin Gigović, Ermedin Demirović, Esmir Bajraktarević, Haris Tabaković and Kerim Alajbegović. That 3-5-2 offers a different kind of threat, with extra numbers in midfield and enough presence up front to test Sweden if the game becomes stretched.
What the coaches are asking for
The key question for Graham Potter is whether Sweden can make their 4-4-2 work against a Bosnia y Herzegovina side that will likely try to crowd the middle of the pitch. With both teams carrying a victory and an empate from their last two matches, there is enough confidence on both sides to suggest neither will approach this as a simple survival exercise.
Sergej Barbarez, meanwhile, will look at his 3-5-2 and see a platform for control rather than chaos. Bosnia y Herzegovina have the structure to compete, but Sweden’s direct threat means the visitors will need to stay organised from the first whistle. In a match between two sides with similar recent momentum, details in shape and discipline may decide who takes the stronger position in date five of the Liga de Naciones.
