Bundesliga
Bosnians in the Bundesliga
Ahead of Friday’s UEFA Nations League tie between Bosnia and Germany (kick-off: 8.45pm CEST), bundesliga.com takes a look at the Bosnians currently playing in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2…
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VfB Stuttgart forward Demirović joined the club this summer after scoring 15 league goals for Augsburg last season, and he looks set to surpass that tally this term, having netted five times in his opening six Bundesliga games for his new club. He is level with Harry Kane and Jonathan Burkardt in the scoring charts, with Burkardt receiving his first call-up to the Germany squad for this fixture. The Bosnian goal-getter will also face off against a few of his Stuttgart teammates when the two countries meet on Friday, such as strike partner Deniz Undav, Chris Führich, Maximilian Mittelstädt, Alexander Nübel, Angelo Stiller and Jamie Leweling.
The experienced forward joined Hoffenheim in the summer, having been the joint-top scorer in the Bundesliga 2 last season with 22 goals for Hertha Berlin. Before his arrival in Germany, Tabaković spent his career in Austria and Switzerland, winning another top scorer award in the 2021/22 Austrian second division with SC Austria Lustenau. He is yet to open his account for his new side in the Bundesliga this season, but will look to strike for his country on Friday instead.
The Holstein Kiel midfielder is in his first season in the Bundesliga, having previously played in Denmark, Sweden and Russia. Gigović actually grew up in Sweden and represented them twice before recently switching allegiance to Bosnia, for whom he has since made four appearances. He played 70 minutes of Kiel’s impressive 2-2 draw against Leverkusen at the weekend, as his side came from two goals down to collect their second point of the season.
St. Pauli goalkeeper Vasilj has made over 100 appearances for the Hamburg club, and this season marks his first in the Bundesliga. So far, he has kept two clean sheets, against RB Leipzig and Freiburg. For his national side, Vasilj has made 11 appearances, with his first coming in a goalless draw against Costa Rica in 2021, where he lined up alongside former Schalke man Sead Kolašinac and Stuttgart’s Demirović.
The Cologne man has amassed 50 Bundesliga appearances for the Billy Goats and has been included in the starting line-up for all eight of his side’s Bundesliga 2 games this season. Since debuting in 2022/23 against Wolfsburg, the 23-year-old has become a regular for the side. Like teammate Gigović, Huseinbašić debuted for Bosnia this year in a 3-0 loss to England after previously representing another country. Born and raised in Germany, he played five times for their U21 team before opting to represent Bosnia.
Dženis Burnić
Burnić rose through the ranks at Borussia Dortmund, making two appearances for the first team in the 2016/17 season before moving to Heidenheim on a permanent basis in the summer of 2020. There, he played on 60 occasions before joining Karlsruher last summer. Burnić also represented Germany at youth level, with his last appearance for the U21 side coming against Bosnia alongside current Germany international Nico Schlotterbeck.
The experienced Bičakčić made his Bundesliga debut for Stuttgart in 2009, playing 60 minutes in a 5-3 loss to Bayern Munich. That was his first and last league appearance for the club, but he did go on to make feature 161 more times in the Bundesliga for both Hoffenheim and current club Eintracht Braunschweig. Bičakčić has 38 caps for Bosnia under his belt, making his debut in a 4-3 defeat to the USA in 2013 in a team that included former Bundesliga stalwart Vedad Ibišević.