Dzeko and Mahmic in World Cup squad as Bosnia blend experience with youth

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dzeko-edin/zilGmgZq/"]Dzeko[/a] is ‌[a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bosnia-herzegovina/fqe7WYTr/"]Bosnia[/a]'s most capped player and all-time top scorer. The 40-year-old is one of two survivors from ‌his country's only previous World Cup appearance in 2014, alongside defender ‌Sead Kolasinac.[/p][p]Bosnia defeated [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/wales/YcUP0Nqp/"]Wales[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/italy/hlKvieGH/"]Italy[/a] on penalties to come through the playoffs ‌and Dzeko picked up a shoulder injury at the end of extra ‌time against the Italians in the final and was unable to take part in the shootout.[/p][p]Dzeko then missed four games for his club Schalke 04, but came off the ‌bench in their last two fixtures to ease ⁠worries over his fitness for the ‌World Cup, where Bosnia will face co-hosts [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/canada/x4toKORL/"]Canada[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/qatar/zqzHL77i/"]Qatar[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/switzerland/rHJ2vy1B/"]Switzerland[/a] in Group B.[/p][p]Barbarez wasted no time in calling up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mahmic-ermin/lbdiuVzP/"]Mahmic[/a] after the 21-year-old Austrian-born player had his request to change allegiance to ​Bosnia approved by FIFA earlier in May.[/p][embed guid="b5da7dbc-ec75-45e2-8305-6b5377bd5fe3" url="https://x.com/NFSBiH/status/2053808288676954183" social-type="twitter" /][p]Mahmic featured for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/austria/naHiWdnt/"]Austria[/a] at Under-17 and Under-21 level, and had also played with Bosnia's Under-19 team, and Barbarez ⁠already sees him having ​a long career with the national side.[/p][p]"[b]You can't believe how happy and proud he is to be with us[/b]," Barbarez told reporters.[/p][p]"[b]He plays in the position of eight and 10, he has depth, the profile of a player that ‌we don't have much. A player who will continue to develop, with the aim that Bosnia will have good players in the next 10 years[/b]."[/p][p]Kerim Alajbegovic may be the youngest in the squad, but the 18-year-old winger has already proven he has the skill and temperament for the big stage.[/p][p]Alajbegovic came off the bench against Wales, set up Dzeko's equaliser and scored the winning penalty in the shootout and also converted a penalty when Bosnia beat Italy.[/p][p]Bosnia play two warm-up matches against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/north-macedonia/GrTQ3oHB/"]North Macedonia[/a] on May ‌29th in Sarajevo and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/panama/OWKqbCfi/"]Panama[/a] in St. Louis and begin their World ​Cup campaign against Canada on June 12th in Toronto.[/p][h2]Bosnia Squad[/h2][p][b]Goalkeepers[/b]: Nikola ‌Vasilj (St Pauli), Martin Zlomislic (Rijeka), Osman Hadzikic (Slaven Belupo)[/p][p][b]Defenders[/b]: Sead Kolasinac (Atalanta), Amar Dedic (Benfica), Nihad Mujakic (Gaziantep), Nikola Katic (Schalke 04), Tarik Muharemovic (Sassuolo), Stjepan Radeljic (Rijeka), Dennis Hadzikadunic (Sampdoria), Nidal Celik (Lens)[/p][p][b]Midfielders[/b]: Amir Hadziahmetovic (Hull City), Ivan Sunjic (Pafos), Ivan Basic (Astana), Dzenis Burnic (Karlsruher SC), Ermin Mahmic (Slovan Liberec), Benjamin Tahirovic (Brondby), Amar Memic (Viktoria Plzen), Armin Gigovic (Young Boys), Kerim ⁠Alajbegovic (RB Salzburg), Esmir Bajraktarevic (PSV Eindhoven)[/p][p][b]Forwards[/b]: Ermedin ⁠Demirovic (VfB Stuttgart), Jovo Lukic (Universitatea Cluj), ‌Samed Bazdar (Jagiellonia Bialystok), Haris Tabakovic (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Edin Dzeko (Schalke 04)[/p]