Poland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina prediction and predicted line-ups: no Džeko or Dedić in Warsaw, Nations League

Sergej Barbarez's Bosnia and Herzegovina side, who knocked Italy out on penalties in March, travel to Warsaw without Edin Džeko. Jan Urban's Poland start the 2026/27 Nations League on Friday 25 September in League B for the first time, after four editions in League A, against opponents fresh from only the second World Cup in their history. The two meet again on 5 October in Zenica.

Poland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina: kick-off time and venue

Poland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina kicks off at 19:45 UK time (20:45 Central European time) on Friday 25 September at the PGE Narodowy in Warsaw. It is Group B4 of League B in the Nations League, with Sweden and Romania: the winners go up to League A and the runners-up into a play-off. Greece's Anastasios Papapetrou referees, with his compatriot Ioannis Papadopoulos on VAR. Because of a UEFA sanction, Bosnia supporters will not be allowed in.

Team news

Džeko misses Warsaw and Bucharest: he plays a friendly for Schalke on Thursday 24 September and joins up for Bosnia vs Sweden in Zenica on 2 October, his final international, which sold out in 14 minutes. Newcastle's Amar Dedić (hamstring) and Kenan Busuladžić (cruciate ligament) are also out. Juventus's Kerim Alajbegović has a slight hip problem, but Barbarez says he is available.

Poland have lost Juventus goalkeeper Kamil Grabara, who ruptured a cruciate ligament in training, Adrian Benedyczak with a fractured scaphoid, and Filip Rózga. Widzew goalkeeper Bartłomiej Drągowski and Zagłębie Lubin's uncapped Marcel Reguła have been called up. Robert Lewandowski, 38, now at Chicago Fire, says he is available for the whole camp, and the squad also includes Inter's Piotr Zieliński and Atalanta's Nicola Zalewski.

Poland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina predicted line-ups

Neither side has an XI that holds up: no full predicted line-up had appeared by 23 September. Urban told reporters: “Nie ma szans, żeby któryś z piłkarzy wystąpił we wszystkich czterech spotkaniach od pierwszej minuty” (“There's no way any player will start all four games”), in comments reported on 21 September. He usually plays a back three, and Puchacz gives him the option of a back four with a left-footer on the left. With Grabara out, Bułka is rated the strongest goalkeeper, but the plan is to give each keeper a game.

No Bosnia line-up has been published, and training has been closed to the media after the first 15 minutes. Barbarez named Vasilj, Katić, Muharemović, Šunjić, Atalanta's Kolašinac and Demirović as his key men. The official line-ups are released about an hour before kick-off.

Head-to-head and form

The last two meetings came in the 2020 Nations League, with both sides in League A: Poland won 2-1 in Zenica on 7 September and 3-0 in Wrocław on 14 October.

Poland missed the World Cup after losing the play-off final 3-2 in Sweden on 31 March. At the World Cup Bosnia drew 1-1 with Canada, lost 4-1 to Switzerland, beat Qatar 3-1 and went out in the round of 32, 2-0 to the United States.

Our Poland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina prediction

Our call is at least two goals, confidence 7 out of 10. All of Poland's last five competitive games had at least two goals, and so did all four of Bosnia's at the World Cup. Barbarez at his press conference on Monday 21 September: “Nećemo ići na bod” (“We won't be playing for a draw”). Every game of the round is in our matchday one preview.

Every game with our calls is on the Nations League page. The record of settled calls is in the results history, and our calls on individual players are in player predictions.