For one side, the upcoming World Cup in Brazil will be their debut on the international stage; for the other, it will be yet another chance following two successive disappointing results in their previous appearances.
The Ivory Coast, led by captain and all-time top scorer Didier Drogba, first made an appearance in the quadrennial tournament back in 2006, but failed to progress past the group stages, and were unable to do any better four years later in South Africa. Currently, les Elephants are ranked first among the quintet of teams featuring in Brazil and top out of their confederation, and will have to contend with Colombia, Japan, and Greece in Group C next month.
Didier Drogba and Edin Dzeko will be expected to lead the line for their teams at the World Cup
The interesting thing about the World Cup is that there is always a team that is making their first ever appearance, and this year's newbies will be Bosnia. The Balkan nation surprised some by finishing top of their group ahead of Greece and will face off against Lionel Messi's Argentina, 2013 African Cup of Nations winners Nigeria, and Iran in their quartet.
Drogba's opposing no. 11, Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, was not just the second top-scorer in European qualification with 10 goals but is already his nation's top marksman with 33 strikes to his name. Impressively, they completed their group with a record of eight wins, one draw, and one loss, but lost their first friendly clash of 2014 by 2-0 to Egypt.
Friday's meeting will be the first ever meeting between the Ivory Coast and Bosnia
Yaya Toure will be one notable absentee for the African side, as the powerful midfielder is suffering from a muscular injury and is presently receiving treatment in Qatar, but the 31-year-old has seen his name in the press more due to statements made about his future with the Premier League winners.
Given that these two sides have never met, and neither have won their respective friendly matches this year, it should be an interesting match-up as both look to build up some positive momentum before heading to Brazil.
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Ivory Coast on Friday, May 30, 2014:
In the US at 20.30 EST on: beIN Sports USA, Univision Deportes, beIN Sports Play
In Canada at 20.30 ET on: beIN Sports Play Canada, beIN Sports Canada
In Bosnia at 02.30 CET (Saturday) on: BHT 1
For more live scores and listing of this friendly clash, visit the Bosnia vs. Ivory Coast match page.
