Wales face Bosnia & Herzegovina tonight in the first leg of the World Cup play-offs, with the winners advancing to a final against either Italy or Northern Ireland on March 31. The match kicks off at 7:45pm in Cardiff and will be broadcast on BBC Two in the UK. Rhys Norrington-Davies aims to help Wales reach the finals after missing the 2022 tournament due to injury.
Wales defender Rhys Norrington-Davies is eager to make amends for his absence from the 2022 World Cup squad, where a hamstring injury sidelined him just before the tournament in Qatar. Wales exited that event at the group stage with one point from matches against the United States, Iran and England. Speaking to Walesonline, Norrington-Davies said: “Obviously if I had gone, the memories and the experiences you would have had having been out there with the group. That’s never really probably sunk in. I can remember being sat in bed, I was bed-bound... playing for your country again.” He warned against complacency, noting Bosnia's players like 40-year-old Edin Dzeko, now at Schalke in Germany's second division, and former Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac. “No team in international football is a walkover these days,” he added. “Everyone’s got international, good quality players playing in the top leagues.” Former Bosnia midfielder Miralem Pjanic expressed confidence in his nation's team to FIFA.com: “There’ve been quite a few changes to the national team, but play-off matches are never easy... I believe in my national team and my country, even though Wales are tough opponents.” Wales enter without injured players Ben Davies, Chris Mepham, Kieffer Moore and Connor Roberts. Bosnia are missing Sampdoria defender Dennis Hadzikadunic. Stats show Wales have won five of their last six competitive home games in Cardiff, while Bosnia have only three away wins in six years, against Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein and Malta. Bosnia qualified for the World Cup once as an independent nation, in 2014. The game can be streamed via BBC iPlayer.
