Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko will be in the spotlight as he returns to international duty with Bosnia in Latvia.
Dzeko’s future at the Etihad Stadium is uncertain with the change of manager and what appears to be a squad reshuffle.
Despite a good season statistically at City, scoring 15 goals, Dzeko has regularly been linked with a move, and recent speculation has suggested he could be a target for Chelsea.
The 27-year-old will have a good chance to underline his talents as free-scoring Group G leaders Bosnia take on Latvia in their latest World Cup qualifier in Riga.
Bosnia have scored 18 times in their five qualifiers to date, with Dzeko netting seven of them, to top the group by three points from Greece.
Victory over a Latvia side who have just four points would take Bosnia a step closer to a place at Brazil 2014.
“We know that the game will be tough like every other game we play, that’s why we’ll come into the game with maximum focus,” Dzeko told reporters recently.
Dzeko was on target as Bosnia won 4-1 when the sides met in September.
A goalless draw against Greece in October is the only blip in Bosnia’s campaign so far, a result they corrected by beating the 2004 European champions in March.
That defeat aside, the Greeks have been positive and they will hope to keep some pressure on the leaders as they travel to Vilnius to face Lithuania.
Coach Fernando Santos told reporters: “The Lithuania game is a big one, and that’s obviously what we’re focusing on.
“But we have five games left and we’ll go into them all aggressively.
“Our aim is to make it to Brazil in first place – which would be ideal – or as runner-up.”
Santos has raised eyebrows by selecting only seven Greece-based players in his latest squad.
While that emphasises the drain of talent to richer leagues, the Portuguese boss has also been angry with Greek officials for organising end-of-season play-offs for European positions.
“It’s a crime to have so many matches like this,” he said.
Third-placed Slovakia, two points behind Greece, remain in contention for at least the runners-up spot.
They are also in action as they face bottom side Liechtenstein in Vaduz.
Minnows Liechtenstein, with just a point to their name, will not be expected to pose many problems having conceded 15 goals and scored just twice in their five games.
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