Article by Daniel Scorpie – Published Monday, March 30, 2026 7:40 p.m. / Updated Monday, March 30, 2026 7:48 p.m.
Sergey Barbarez (54 years old), the coach of the national team from Bosnia and Herzegovinaput the Italians on guard ahead of the Zenica play-off final for a ticket to the 2026 World Cup. “If we open the scoring, we'll park the bus on one side. If we score, we'll put it on the other!”, says Edin Dzeko's team coach.
After winning the penalty shoot-out against Wales in Cardiff and qualifying for the final round of qualifying for the final tournament in Canada, Mexico and the USA, scheduled for June 11-July 19, Bosnia-Herzegovina will play the final in Zenica against Italy, tomorrow at 21:45 (live text on GSP.ro, live on Digi Sport 2 and Prima Sport 2)
Italy progressed to the semi-finals of the Northern Ireland play-offs 2-0 in Bergamo, after which Rino Gattuso's men rejoiced in front of the television as they avoided facing Wales away. The coach of the national team that Romania will face in League B of the Nations League 2026-2027 reacted today.
Vicario and Dimarco are seen in the foreground in the group of players who celebrated Bosnia's qualification for Tuesday's final with Italy for WC 2026 / Photo: X
The Bosnians have warned the Azzurri they will regret their reaction to the penalty shoot-out in Cardiff and will experience first-hand what it means to play at Bilino Polje, where cold weather and a hard pitch are expected. At today's press conference, however, the host coach issued a serious warning to the Italians.
“Everybody recovered… Except me, I lost my voice”
“If we score 1-0, we will park the bus on one side (no – defensive). But if we concede a goal, we will park it on the other side (no – Italy's box). We are happy to have come this far, I can feel and see the love coming from these players of mine,” said Sergej Barbarez.
The selector, who had never coached anyone until the national team of Bosnia-Herzegovina, presented the situation after the dramatic duel with the Welsh: “Everyone recovered, except… me, who lost my voice.
Serghej Barbarez instructs Demirovic, the author of the first goal in Bosnia – Cyprus 2-1
The match was difficult, but we had time to recover as well we hope to last until the end. The whole team is available, although in Cardiff we had players with cramps, but none wanted to leave the field”.
Sergej Barbarez doesn't think about any changes in formation or tactics: “We've been playing like this for a year and a half and I don't think it's time to experiment. What kind of game will it be? We will need courage, to pay attention to details, we need a bit of luck and to score goals”.
The Italians will have great emotions. It is a very important match for us as well, because it is not only about football, but also about a national issue. We might be a little more emotional, but playing in a major competition is always a great achievement
– Sergey BarbarezBosnia-Herzegovina coach
