Bosnia and Herzegovina captain Edin Džeko has called on his country's fans to "applause" for Italy and the national anthem when the two teams face off in the World Cup play-off final on Tuesday: "Italy came to play friendly matches after the war in 1996. For that, we are always grateful."
The Blues, Italy, will travel to frigid Zenica to face Bosnia and Herzegovina for a place in the 2026 World Cup final tournament.
Gennaro Gattuso's team is the highest-ranked national team in the world that has yet to secure a place in the World Cup and will need to win away to avoid missing out for the third time in a row in this tournament.
Italy defeated Northern Ireland 2-0 in Bergamo thanks to second-half goals from Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean, securing a place in Tuesday's play-off final.
Meanwhile, Džeko scored the equalizer in the 86th minute, leading Bosnia to a penalty shootout victory over Wales in Cardiff that same evening.
There have been many statements from both camps ahead of this crucial match, but Džeko has called for respect for Italy and its national team, due to previous gestures of goodwill towards Bosnia in difficult times.
"Everyone should stand up and applaud when the Italian anthem starts. Italy came to play friendly matches after the war in Bosnia in 1996. For that, we are always grateful," Džeko said during the pre-match press conference.
"Then, for 90 minutes, it will be a battle. Friends behind it, like before. Whatever happens, let it happen," he added.
Italy has played six times against Bosnia and Herzegovina before, winning four matches, drawing one and losing one.
The defeat came in the first meeting between the two teams in 1996, when an Italy led by Arrigo Sacchi traveled to Sarajevo for a friendly match immediately after the end of the war in Bosnia.
That team included players such as Paolo Maldini, Dino Baggio, Roberto Di Matteo, Gianfranco Zola and Enrico Chiesa, the latter two combining for Italy's only goal in a 2-1 defeat to the newly formed Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.
All other encounters between Italy and Bosnia have taken place within the last seven years.
They met twice in EURO 2020 qualifiers, with Italy winning both times, twice in the 2020-21 edition of the Nations League and once in an international friendly just before the start of EURO 2024./Express newspaper/
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