Biščević: We are better than Canada, we can beat them and pass the group stage

It is important, he points out, that all the key players are healthy and fit, so, he underlines, coach Sergej Barbarez will have a “sweet struggle” to select a team. He was especially pleased with today’s news that captain Edin Džeko, who, like him, was wearing the jersey of Željezničar from Sarajevo, has fully recovered.

– Dzeko is, as we say in Sarajevo, Babuka. In addition to his great quality, he ensures the stability of the team and is a very important player for our selection, which should realistically pass the group stage. According to all that we showed through the qualifiers, especially in the away match against Austria, Wales and Italy in the play-off, I think that the passage of the group is realistic for our team. It is important that we win the first game. Regardless of the fact that we are playing against one of the hosts, Canada, I believe that we are of better quality and that we can win. Later we have Švivarska and Qatar, so, I think, it is realistic to pass the group – says Biščević.

He adds, he is not worried about the lackluster performances in the control matches, because they are certainly matches that, he underlines, are used for the coaching staff to be convinced of the player’s condition and to see who they can count on at that moment.

– This national team has individual quality, there are a lot of talented players and good wings. We’ve been waiting for this kind of success for a long time, a repeat placement at the World Cup, which, in my opinion, came because of the fact that we have people in the coaching staff, like coach Barbarez and director Emir Spahić, who were great players and who knew how to convey and present that to our players and create an atmosphere. It was not easy, especially after the defeat against Germany. Few expected them to arrange everything so quickly. However, although they are young and a large number of our players were not born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, they showed that they have great quality and that they love Bosnia and Herzegovina and that they play with all their heart – says Biščević.

Unlike his generation, which was mostly made up of players who were born in BiH and built foreign careers, this one is mostly made up of guys who were born in the diaspora. His generation did not manage to qualify for a major competition, which is the goal of every player and athlete.

– We missed a bit. We all remember October 2003 and the match against Denmark in Koševo, when we needed a win, and it ended 1:1. We didn’t manage to go to EURO 2004, but some players from that generation managed to go to our first World Cup, in Brazil in 2014 – notes Biščević.

This year’s World Cup, he says, brings several new things, but also the participation of as many as 48 national teams, so he expects a lot of surprises.

– First of all, I expect our national team to pass the group and go as far as possible. Croatia can do a lot, because they have the quality and experience of performing in major competitions. They showed it at the previous World Cups, but my favorite is Argentina, which is also defending the title. I would also include the traditional favorites in the favorites, such as Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain… Mexico is one of the hosts, so they could also go far. In any case, I expect a very interesting championship, a lot of good matches and surprises – says Biščević, who was forced to leave football due to an injury exactly 20 years ago.

(Vijesti.ba/Fena)