Northern Ireland will play two friendlies before turning attention to the Nations League, and manager Michael O'Neill has a specific focus for both matches.
O'Neill's side faces Guinea on June 4 in Spain before traveling to take on France four days later. According to BBC Sport, O'Neill said the games present a chance to work on the team's possession-based play, which he identified as an area needing improvement.
"Just to enjoy the game and try and get as many players as we can involved in the game," O'Neill told BBC Sport NI when asked about the goals of the friendlies. "To see the further development of the team. I think as we develop as a team now, our possession-based football, maybe to see an improvement in that a little bit as our out-of-possession football has been excellent."
Northern Ireland enters these matches carrying the disappointment of a World Cup play-off loss to Italy in March. The squad has now been drawn into a Nations League group alongside Georgia, Hungary, and Ukraine, giving them a concrete next target after the summer friendlies conclude.
O'Neill pointed to the youth of his squad as both a challenge and an opportunity. Two uncapped teenagers, Braiden Graham and Ceadach O'Neill, drew attention with their call-ups. Graham scored 22 goals in 31 appearances for Everton's under-21 side. The younger O'Neill came through Arsenal's academy. Neither has made a senior appearance for their respective clubs.
The manager was careful not to place pressure on either player. "We're not putting any expectation on these lads that are here," O'Neill said. "They've been in our underage system. They're still yet to play first team football with their respective clubs, but they're obviously both at big clubs."
He added that the next few years will be defining for both teenagers. "The next phase for them, the next two or three years is very important. That 18 to 21 period in their career will determine a lot of whether they come through at their respective clubs or whether they go through the loan period."
The Guinea match will be the first meeting between the two nations in history. Guinea sits 10 places below Northern Ireland in the FIFA rankings. O'Neill acknowledged that accessing footage of the opponent presented some difficulty. "The footage is not as readily accessible, but we know that they're a team that most of their players are obviously connected to European clubs and they play at different levels throughout Europe," he said.
The match against Guinea kicks off Thursday at 17:00 BST and will be broadcast live on BBC Two NI and BBC iPlayer.
