Surname: Kai Havertz
Age: 23
Position: Attacking midfielder/forward
Germany Caps: 28
Kai Havertz has been a regular in his home country of Germany since his international debut at the end of 2018.
The 23-year-old is one of many attackers available to his country and national coach Hansi Flick faces the tricky task of deciding which attacker will be the first choice at the World Cup in what will be the national team’s final meeting in front of the Germans is a trip to Qatar.
Alongside Havertz, the likes of Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane and Timo Werner will all be keen to catch Flick’s eye this international break and Havertz is hoping his shaky Chelsea form can be put aside and regain some consistency with the squad to ensure he is part of Flick’s final squad for Qatar.
Havertz is facing his 29th and 30th international match for Germany
IMAGO / Eibner
Surname: Jorginho
Age: 30
Position: midfield player
Italy Caps: 44
Jorginho is a mainstay in Italy’s midfield Azzurris most important players, thanks to the style of play that Roberto Mancini implemented in the team.
Amazingly, this year will be the second consecutive World Cup that Italy will miss after suffering a dramatic loss to Macedonia in the semifinals of the World Cup play-offs in March, with Aleksandar Trajkovski conceding a last-minute goal.
Jorginho and Italy watch as Macedonia celebrate their World Cup play-off win
IMAGO / LaPresse
As a result, Jorginho and his Italian side will be fully focused on progressing out of Group 3 of League A in the Nations League, where they face England and Hungary.
Surname: Edouard Mendy
Age: 30
Position: goalkeeper
Senegal Caps: 25
Although Edouard Mendy has been absent from Chelsea lately with a knee injury, he has been called up by Aliou Cisse for Senegal’s forthcoming friendlies against Bolivia and Iran.
This is a good opportunity for the Teranga Lions to prepare for November’s World Cup, where they will face Netherlands, Ecuador and hosts Qatar in Group A.
Mendy celebrates Senegal’s victory at the Africa Cup of Nations
IMAGO / Shengolpix’s
Mendy has not played for Senegal since early June, when his side clinched decisive victories over Rwanda and Benin in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.
Despite that lengthy absence from the national team, Mendy is certainly a stalker to become Cisse’s No. 1 as the country leads to its third World Cup appearance in 20 years.
Surname: Kalidou Koulibaly
Age: 31
Position: defender
Senegal Caps: 62
Alongside Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly has not played for Senegal since June but was brought in for those friendlies against Bolivia and Iran.
Koulibaly in Champions League action for Chelsea
IMAGO / Pixsell
Chelsea’s new summer signing has been an international since 2015 and was named captain of Senegal in 2019 after 39 games for the Lions. He hopes to lead his players to their country’s best World Cup finish since 2002 when they reached the quarter-finals. Final in Osaka.
Surname: Armando Broja
Age: 21
Position: Forward
Albania Caps: 14
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Armando Broja, who has just signed a new six-year deal with Chelsea, is on his way to represent Albania in the Nations League, where they face Israel and Iceland, with League B Group 2 qualification still in sight .
This season at Chelsea, Broja has impressed fans with his strength and energy and will bring that to the national team, for which he has already scored four goals.
Broja on duty for Albania in March
IMAGO / AFLOSPORT
There is no World Cup for Albania to look forward to but these upcoming games are a great opportunity for Broja to focus on scoring more goals to turn Graham Potter’s head and prove he has a starting place earned at Chelsea.
Surname: Denis Zakaria
Age: 25
Position: midfield player
Switzerland Caps: 40
If we take the form into account, the inclusion of Denis Zakaria in the Swiss squad comes as a surprise. He has not played for the national team since November last year due to injuries and has only featured twice in club football this season, both games for Juventus in August against Sassuolo and Roma.
Zakaria has yet to play for Chelsea
IMAGO / NurPhoto
His deadline-day loan move to Chelsea hasn’t started yet, but hopefully a few minutes for Switzerland can help him get some starts for Chelsea as the winter period approaches.
Surname: Cesar Azpilicueta
Age: 33
Position: defender
Spain Caps: 40
In terms of captaincy, you can’t look much further than Cesar Azpilicueta.
The Chelsea legend extended his stay at SW6 by a further two years earlier this season and despite his lack of starting opportunities at Chelsea, Luis Enrique has not hesitated to select Azplilicueta as part of his defensive cohort as the defender enters his ninth year selected for the national team to become.
Azpilicueta remains an important part of the Chelsea dressing room
IMAGO / PA images
It would certainly be a shock if Azpilicueta didn’t make it into Spain’s squad for the World Cup, given the experience he brings to the squads he’s a part of and despite his slowing pace on the pitch, the effort he puts in Invested Making it back when he plays makes him a manager’s dream.
Surname: Mateo Kovacic
Age: 28
Position: midfield player
Croatia Caps: 81
Mateo Kovacic is his country’s fourth most active international player and with 81 caps aged 28, his current 81 caps are likely to grow further depending on how important he is to the club Vatreni.
Alongside Luka Modric and Marcelo Brozovic, he is crucial to the way Croatia plays as all three have different playing styles and form a balanced midfield.
Kovacic has the energy and ability to beat the press, Modric controls the pace with his stunning passing ability and Brozovic is the battering ram in defensive midfield.
Middle three players from L to R – Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic
IMAGO / Pixsell
Croatia failed to repeat their 2018 World Cup final in Russia as they only reached the round of 16 at Euro 2020 but are looking to regain form this international break – with games against Denmark and Austria – to take them into the World Cup, and Kovacic will continue to play a key role in that impressive midfield that Croatia boasts.
Surname: Christian Pulisic
Age: 24
Position: Forward
USA caps: 50
The less talked about Christian Pulisic’s start this season for Chelsea the better, but as the face of American football he retains his country’s Most Valuable Player title.
Christian Pulisic is the biggest name in American football
IMAGO / Icon Sportswire
A USA international since 2016 and 12-time captain of his country, America’s hopes of doing well in Qatar rest on Pulisic and all eyes will be on him when the USA take on England, Iran and Wales in Group B in November.
Fans across America will be hoping he can put in some good performances in the USA’s upcoming games against Japan and Saudi Arabia, and perhaps with some brilliant performances he can get Chelsea fans back on their side when the Premier League kicks off in two weeks back.
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