Fifa World Cup: Italy hoping to scale Bosnian ‘Everest’, tiny Kosovo on verge of history

Italy have one more obstacle standing between them and a return to the World Cup in the shape of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who host the Azzurri on Tuesday in what promises to be a tense qualification play-off final in Zenica.

Meanwhile, Kosovo are on the verge of winning a spot in the finals for the first time – a potentially momentous sporting turnaround for Europe’s youngest nation.

For Italian fans, a battling win over Northern Ireland in last week’s semi-final did little to ease their fears about missing out on a third straight World Cup, goals from Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean stopping a lacklustre display from turning into another disaster.

Coach Gennaro Gattuso called Tuesday’s showdown in Zenica “Everest”, because of the weight of expectation weighing on his shoulders as he tries to guide Italy back to the world’s biggest football tournament after 12 years away.

The prize for Italy is a spot in Group B at this summer’s finals alongside co-hosts Canada, Switzerland and Qatar, and something to look forward to for a powerful football nation that has fallen behind its rivals since last lifting the World Cup in 2006.

Gattuso said that he was not “interested in the performance” of his players in what will be a soaking and rowdy Bilino Polje Stadium.