Johan Djourou faces his country of birth on Saturday

But for Johan Djourou this game is almost as significant as the finals.

The 19-year-old defender was brought to Switzerland from the Ivory Coast by his father aged just 17 months.

"It's going to be amazing because I was born in Ivory Coast and still feel there is an African part of me," Djourou said at the Swiss World Cup training camp on Thursday.

"My biological mother still lives there and I have a lot of contact by telephone with my family there, so if I am picked to play for Switzerland against my 'other country' it is sure to be a special moment."

It's always something special to be the youngest in the team Johan Djourou

Djourou is one of three Arsenal teenagers preparing for the World Cup, along with England's Theo Walcott and Spain's Cesc Fabregas, and is the baby of a young Swiss squad.

"It's always something special to be the youngest in the team but I'm not taking that aspect too seriously as we're here to play football and for that age doesn't really matter," Djourou said.

"My own goal for the World Cup is just to play and now I have to prepare myself to show the coach that I'm ready."

Signed by Arsenal at the age of 16, the central defender has just completed a breakthrough season, both in the Premiership and internationally.

Adding to Djourou's sense of the surreal is that an entire Arsenal back four could take to the pitch on Saturday, with himself and Philippe Senderos in the Swiss camp and Emmanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure turning out for Ivory Coast.

"I don't know if they will actually play because the manager may well want to rest them after last week's Champions League final.

"But if we are all playing it will only make it an even more memorable night."

Saturday's match marks the start of an ambitious warm-up programme for Switzerland who play Italy in Geneva on 31 May before taking on China in Zurich on 3 June.

According to coach Koebi Kuhn, the plan is to simulate as much as possible the mixture of African, European and Asian football that Switzerland will meet in Group G against Togo, France and South Korea.