Italy will face Bosnia for a spot at this summer's tournament after the latter overcame Wales in a penalty shootout last week.

The Azzurri, meanwhile, defeated Northern Ireland 2-0 in Bergamo as they look to reach the FIFA World Cup finals for the first time since 2014.

After the victory, Italy's Dimarco and Guglielmo Vicario were seen celebrating after watching Bosnia defeat Wales on penalties.

That was taken by many to mean the Azzurri pair would rather face Bosnia than Wales, given it is a lowly 66th in the FIFA world rankings.

Dimarco defended his reaction to the result, insisting it was in no way disrespectful to the Bosnia team.

"I’m here, given that after the game against Northern Ireland, I was the protagonist of an incident," he said.

"I respect every club and every country; it was an instinctive reaction.

"I was simply watching the penalty shoot-out with my team-mates.

"[Edin] Dzeko also plays for Bosnia. I played with him for two years, and I texted him. He replied to me, and I’m happy to see him in the final.

"I didn’t lack respect for Bosnia or the Bosnian people.

"It was said I was arrogant; with what right, since we haven’t been at the [FIFA] World Cup since 2014? How could I be arrogant?

"That said, I believe it was disrespectful to be filmed in a context where there were also friends, family, and children present."

Gennaro Gattuso's Italy travels to Zenica to face Bosnia on Wednesday (AEDT), hoping to end its long wait for a FIFA World Cup appearance.

Since the 2020-2021 UEFA Nations League, when Italy took four points off Bosnia, the two nations have met just once, when the Azzurri won 1-0 in an international friendly in June 2024.