Wales boss Craig Bellamy warns of Edin Dzeko threat in World Cup play-off
Wales head coach Craig Bellamy has warned his players they must keep veteran striker Edin Dzeko away from their penalty area in Thursday’s crucial World Cup play-off semi-final against Bosnia-Herzogovina.
The former Manchester City and Roma forward remains his country’s all-time leading goalscorer with 72 goals in a record 146 appearances.
Despite turning 40 just days before the fixture in Cardiff, the Schalke frontman is still viewed as a major obstacle to Welsh qualification hopes.
“He was never that speed player but his link-up play and game intelligence is always going to be high,” said Bellamy.
Keeping the danger man at bay
The hosts welcome the Balkan nation knowing a victory secures a home play-off final against either Italy or Northern Ireland.
A successful path through the remaining fixtures would book a ticket to this summer’s tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
“The idea for us would be to keep Bosnia away from our box because that’s when he comes into his own,” the 46-year-old manager explained.
The Welsh tactician emphasised the absolute necessity of forcing the experienced goal-getter to operate deep in midfield to nullify his penalty-box instincts.
Squad boosts and European pedigree
The home side are aiming to secure back-to-back World Cup appearances for the first time in their history, following their successful qualification campaign in 2022.
They will be buoyed by the return to fitness of Premier League attackers Harry Wilson and Daniel James ahead of Tuesday’s squad announcement.
Meanwhile, the visitors are looking to reach international football’s biggest stage for only the second time since becoming an independent nation in 1992.
“Their education in football is through top-tier countries and then they go back to Bosnia to represent the country,” Bellamy noted regarding Sergej Barbarez’s squad.
The winning nation from the European play-off path will ultimately face tournament co-hosts Canada in Toronto on 12 June to kick off their group stage schedule.
