Tarik Muharemovic and Gabriel Gudmundsson share the dressing room at Leeds United, but on Friday night their club friendship will be put aside as Bosnia and Herzegovina host Sweden in the UEFA Nations League.
The match at Bilino Polje in Zenica kicks off at 20:45 CET and brings an intriguing individual storyline involving two Leeds defenders who know each other well from their daily work in England.
Teammates at Leeds, rivals for one night
Muharemovic joined Leeds United during the summer and wears the number five shirt, while Gudmundsson is another important member of the Yorkshire club's defensive unit.
For one evening, however, the two will be on opposite sides. Muharemovic is part of Sergej Barbarez's Bosnia and Herzegovina squad, while Gudmundsson has been selected by Sweden head coach Graham Potter.
Gudmundsson spoke about the upcoming meeting ahead of the trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, describing the hosts as a strong and difficult team and saying he expects a demanding match in Zenica.
They have already agreed on a shirt swap
The Leeds teammates have already discussed the international meeting between them. Gudmundsson revealed that he and Muharemovic had talked about swapping shirts after the final whistle, adding another personal detail to Friday night's Nations League contest.
The competitive part will come first, though. Both players will be focused entirely on their national teams during the match before returning to being club teammates once the international break is over.
Muharemovic comes into the game after scoring in Romania
Muharemovic enters the Sweden match after making an important contribution in Bosnia and Herzegovina's 4-2 away victory over Romania. The central defender started the match and scored with a header as Barbarez's side collected their first Nations League win of the campaign.
Bosnia had previously opened the group with a goalless draw away to Poland, meaning the team has made an unbeaten start to the competition.
Another important night at Bilino Polje
Sweden arrive in Zenica after victories over Romania and Poland, while Bosnia and Herzegovina will look to continue their positive start in front of the home supporters.
For Muharemovic, the match carries an additional club connection. He could spend the evening trying to stop a national team containing one of his Leeds teammates before the pair reunite in West Yorkshire.
The official line-ups will be confirmed shortly before kick-off, but the possibility of Muharemovic and Gudmundsson facing each other gives the Bosnia-Sweden clash an extra Leeds United storyline.
