Underestimate Bosnia and Herzegovina at your peril.The United States’ World Cup round-of-32 opponent is among the supposedly less impressive teams to emerge from the group stage, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side need only ask Italy about the dangers of taking it lightly.When Bosnia beat Wales away on penalties in March to set up a qualification play-off final against the four-time World Cup winners a few days later, Italy’s players were filmed celebrating — clearly viewing it as the easier opponent. Now, after another shootout win, Italy is watching this tournament from home as Bosnia’s North American adventure rolls on.Pochettino will be guarded against similar complacency for the match at Levi’s Stadium, south of San Francisco, on Wednesday (early Thursday UK time), affording it the respect of detailed analysis and a tailored tactical plan.In the opposite dugout will be Sergej Barbarez, appointed in 2024 to what was his first coaching job at any level. A 54-year-old former Borussia Dortmund striker who spent a decade playing professional poker after retiring, he knows a thing or two about strategy.Here, The Athletic breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of his tactical approach and explains how the USMNT might find a way past Bosnia to reach the World Cup’s last 16.USMNT prepares for Bosnia knockout matchGet free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic appBosnia is not the most glamorous side to watch. It struggles to dominate games, averaging 44 per cent possession across the three group stage games (the Americans were at 60 per cent). Nor does it create many chances, with just four shots inside the penalty area per match compared to the United States’ 12.Expected goals, or xG, is a statistical metric that measures chance quality, giving each shot a value between zero and one, based on its likelihood of going in. Bosnia have generated just 1.87 xG, the second-lowest total among the teams to reach the knockouts (Paraguay are bottom).That bluntness in attack is partly down to a lack of quality. Few in the Bosnia team are household names, with Edin Dzeko, the now 40-year-old former Manchester City, Roma and Inter striker, the most recognisable. But attacking caution is a deliberate trade-off in an approach that prizes solidity.