Canada Set to Open Their World Cup Without Alphonso Davies

Canada open their home World Cup on Friday against Bosnia and Herzegovina at BMO Field in Toronto (3pm ET) — and they are likely to do it without the player their entire era has been built around. Captain Alphonso Davies is expected to miss the Group B opener with a hamstring injury sustained on club duty with Bayern Munich, according to ESPN.

The injury news does not stop there. Centre-back Moïse Bombito — arguably Canada's best defender — has been ruled out of the tournament entirely, while attacking midfielder Marcelo Flores ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament after being named in the squad. For a team whose margins were already thin, it is a brutal way to arrive at a home World Cup.

The fixture matters precisely because of what follows. Group B also contains Switzerland, the group's seeded favourites, and Qatar — meaning the Bosnia game is widely seen as the match Canada must win to control their own qualification, as Sports Mole notes in its preview of the tie.

Bosnia and Herzegovina arrive with problems of their own. This is their first World Cup since their debut in Brazil in 2014, and their talismanic veteran striker Edin Džeko is a doubt with a shoulder issue, while reserve goalkeeper Osman Hadžikić has withdrawn through injury. Even so, a Bosnia side built around Džeko's experience and a physical midfield will fancy their chances against a depleted Canadian defence.

For Canada, the calculus is simple: win without Davies, and his expected return later in the group stage becomes a bonus rather than a rescue mission. Drop points on Friday, and a young team's first home World Cup match in history will have turned into a pressure cooker by the time the Swiss arrive.

Sources: ESPN — Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina: kick-off time, how to watch, stats, team news · Sports Mole — Canada vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina: a clash of eras and styles