Goran Melher's players gathered yesterday at the FFBiH Training Center in Zenica, after which they held a training session at the Husejin Smajlović sports arena.

Speaking about the gathering and the upcoming matches, head coach Melher said: "All the players reported for this gathering except Alem Kadić. KMF Loznica didn't release him because this isn't a FIFA international window. Everyone is healthy and ready. I can see a strong desire to prove themselves, especially because we have three new players who've never previously been with the national team. I sincerely hope everyone will justify their call-up."

Melher said that the duels against a strong Morocco team will provide an excellent test ahead of the start of the qualifiers: "This is also our only gathering before the qualifiers and the game against Northern Ireland, which we'll play on October 15. I think these are the best possible preparation matches and a real test for our team. Morocco is ranked sixth in the world. Their players have already been together for 15 days and are preparing for the Africa Cup, so we'll see where we currently stand. These will be very demanding matches."

Speaking about the ambitions for the upcoming qualifying cycle, the head coach said: "Our goal is to qualify for the elite round, meaning to be among the top 20 national teams in Europe. After that, we'll see what happens. We want to beat Northern Ireland and compete with Poland for first place."

The first match between Morocco and BiH in Rabat is scheduled for August 13 at 19:00, while the second will be played on August 15 at 17:00.