Sergej barbarez

FIFA World Cup: The stakes could hardly be higher when Bosnia & Herzegovina and Qatar meet on Thursday, with both teams entering their final Group B fixture knowing that anything other than victory could bring their World Cup journeys to an abrupt end.

Neither side has managed to win a match so far, but draws in their respective opening fixtures have kept them firmly in the qualification picture. A win would not only preserve hopes of a top-two finish, though that would likely require results elsewhere and a significant boost in goal difference, but could also be enough to secure a place in the knockout rounds as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams.

Recent form offers little comfort to either camp. Bosnia & Herzegovina suffered a 4-1 defeat against Switzerland in their previous outing, while Qatar endured an even tougher evening, falling 6-0 to co-host Canada after finishing the match with nine players. Those results have left both nations with little margin for error heading into the decisive clash.