Bosnia are a side that consistently get on the scoresheet, netting at least one goal in 14 of their last 15 international matches.

The 0-0 draw against North Macedonia ended a run of 13-straight games in which they had scored in, yet they still managed 16 shots in an encouraging offensive display.

Canada have conceded in their last two against European opposition (2 v Iceland and 1 v Ireland).

They also conceded in two of their four Gold Cup matches last summer, despite playing opponents significantly weaker than the Bosnia side they will come up against in Toronto.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that Bosnia have not received a single card in their two pre-tournament friendly matches; they are an aggressive team out of possession that has picked up at least two cards in nine of their last 10 competitive matches.

They habitually produce a high foul count – they have hit 15 or above in 80% of these games – offering the match officials plenty of opportunities to card them.

With 28 cards in qualifying, Bosnia averaged 2.62 per game, posting the 4th highest rate of yellows among all UEFA sides. Canada have drawn at least two cards from their opponents in eight of their last 10 friendlies.

The battle between Tahirovic and Ismael Kone in the heart of the field will be important in the destiny of this match, and it promises to produce fireworks.

Kone has won four fouls in 135 minutes of friendly action leading into this encounter, while the Bosnian has constantly picked up big foul numbers on the international scene.

He has at least one foul in eight of his last 10 competitive international appearances but has committed at least two on six occasions. In qualifying, he committed 2.17 per 90.

With Ivan Sunjic potentially only on the bench, his role as an enforcer will be more pronounced.

Hull City’s Liam Millar will be an important attacking outlet for Canada, with his direct style of play important to their chances.

In the Championship, he earned one or more fouls in six of his last seven matches with the Tigers, except the playoff final when Middlesbrough committed only two total fouls. Bosnia will not be so standoffish.

They led European qualifying with 177 fouls – 21 more than any other nation – or 16.5 a game.

This will make a ball carrier like Millar, who has led Canada in dribbles in each of their two pre-tournament friendlies, a clear target.

The 23-year-old is a player who regularly draws a significant number of fouls, earning 1.78 per 90 in Serie A this season with a midtable side.

In a team that expects to be ball-dominant, he is likely to be a magnet for fouls. He has picked up at least two in two of his last three international matches, and against a Bosnia side that is aggressive out of possession, he is likely to find himself a target in this match.

Given he has started the last nine Canada friendlies, he is a key figure in Jesse Marsch’s plans.

Potentially goes up against Ivan Sunjic and Benjamin Tahirovic, who were Bosnia’s leading foul makers in qualifying with 24 and 18, respectively.

Back Czechia to avoid defeat in their Group A opener against South Korea on Friday.

Miroslav Koubek replaced Ivan Hasek in the Czechia hot seat following a shock 2-1 defeat away to the Faroe Islands during qualifying, and the response has been impressive. The Czechs have since gone six matches unbeaten, winning play-off ties against the Republic of Ireland and Denmark to book their place at this summer’s World Cup.

There have been stronger South Korea sides in years gone by, despite them enjoying a relatively straightforward route to qualification. While the Taegeuk Warriors warmed up with wins over Trinidad and El Salvador, they were thumped 4-0 by Ivory Coast in March before losing 1-0 against Austria three days later.

Czechia are of a similar calibre to those two sides, and on current form, they should head into this contest confident of collecting at least a point.

I’m not expecting goals to flow freely in this game, but I would be surprised if we do not see at least two.

Each of Czechia’s last five matches across all competitions have featured a minimum of two goals, including both of their play-off ties against the Republic of Ireland and Denmark. During the group stage of qualifying, all but one of the Czechs’ seven fixtures broke the over 1.5 goal barrier.

The case is strengthened further when you consider that 18 of South Korea’s last 22 matches have also produced two goals or more. Both sides carry an attacking threat, but neither are completely watertight defensively, so goals at both ends are a real possibility.

I think this game has the feel of a 1-1 draw, or a 2-1 win for Czechia.

Vladimir Coufal looks like a strong candidate to commit at least one foul. The Czechia defender was regularly on the referee’s radar when playing away from home during qualifying.

In fact, Coufal committed multiple fouls in each of his three appearances away from home during the group stage. The former West Ham man was also guilty of one foul against the Republic of Ireland in a play-off semi-final earlier this year.

On top of that, Coufal averaged 1.01 fouls per game in the Bundesliga last season, committing at least one foul in seven of his final 10 appearances of the campaign.

He is likely to find himself operating in similar areas of the pitch to South Korea star Heung-min Son, who has drawn an average of 1.78 fouls per game across his four appearances for his country this calendar year.

Patrik Schick looks like the prime candidate to hit the target at least once during this contest.

The Czechia forward is a talismanic figure for his country, with an impressive return of 26 goals in 53 international appearances. Across his eight outings during World Cup qualifying, Schick hit the target a minimum of once in six of those matches, making the net bulge with five of those efforts.

His shots on target numbers were also strong during the recently concluded Bundesliga season, averaging 1.58 shots on target per 90.

Schick is also his side’s designated penalty taker, which only adds to the appeal of siding with this selection.

Look for Tomas Soucek to be fouled at least once against South Korea on Friday. The towering Czech midfielder not only commits plenty of fouls but also wins his side a fair share of free kicks in the midfield battleground.

Soucek was brought down a combined total of eight times across his 10 appearances during qualifying, with six of those free kicks coming away from home. That trend also carried into last season’s Premier League campaign, where Soucek drew an average of 0.90 fouls per game for West Ham, securing his side eight set-pieces across his final seven outings of the campaign.

Soucek is likely to find himself in a midfield battle alongside Hwang In-beom, who has averaged 1.18 fouls per 90 across his last 17 appearances for his country, while also committing an average of 1.00 fouls per 90 for Feyenoord last season.