Arsenal hoping key players return safely from international duty
Arsenal waved goodbye to a plethora of players this week as the final international break of 2024 takes centre stage.
The club will be desperate for them to return unscathed, given they have had several key players ruled out with injuries in recent weeks.
With an important Premier League game against Nottingham Forest next on the agenda, the Gunners cannot afford to be without their top stars.
Fans will be clamouring for Arsenal tickets for the Forest clash, and they will expect the team to be at full strength for a fixture that has the potential to be tricky.
With that in mind, read on as we look at which Arsenal players have been called up to represent their respective nations during the international break.
Rice and Saka withdraw from the England squad
Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were called up by England interim manager Lee Carsley for the Nations League games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.
However, they subsequently withdrew from the squad alongside six other players after failing to shake off their respective injuries.
They have been struggling over the past few weeks and had to be substituted during the 1-1 draw with Chelsea over the weekend.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta indicated after the game that he was unsure if they would be available for international duty but hopes to have them back for the Forest game.
“I don’t know whether to expect them to be fit because if not they don’t come off,” Arteta said.
“What I’m praying for is that after the international break we have the team fully physically equipped, that they are available and that they are fit, because it’s been a nightmare for eight weeks.”
Odegaard sent home by Norway
Martin Odegaard will not play in Norway’s Nations League matches against Slovenia and Kazakhstan after consulting with the national team’s medical staff.
The 25-year-old returned off the bench after a lengthy absence against Inter Milan last week before featuring in the starting XI at Chelsea on Sunday.
However, Norway’s team doctor Ola Sand confirmed the playmaker needs more time to be match-fit following the ‘complicated’ injury.
Odegaard said: “I’ve been through a long training period and when you haven’t practiced football in the last nine weeks, it’s natural not to be 100 percent yet. I need to listen to my body, complete this rehab process and get my foot back in good shape.
“The hope has always been to be able to play the national matches, and if I hadn’t played the match on Sunday, it would have been out of the question to participate for Norway anyway.
“But it’s a bad feeling to lose these games – I love playing for Norway and with this team. But I have great faith in the boys and wish them the best of luck – there are still good opportunities to win the group.”
Arsenal trio aiming to make progress
David Raya and Mikel Merino have been called up by European champions Spain for their Nations League games against Denmark and Switzerland.
A victory over Denmark on Friday would secure top spot in the group and take the pressure off the meeting with the Swiss three days later.
Both players are expected to start against the Danes, although Merino may not last the 90 minutes as he continues to get back up to full speed after injury.
Kai Havertz has returned to the Germany squad after missing out last month and will be eager to help the team cement their place at the top of Group A3.
They head into their games against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Hungary with a five-point lead over the Netherlands, and it would be a shock if they failed to claim top spot.
Havertz has been a regular starter for Germany and will likely feature in the starting XI in at least one of the upcoming fixtures.
Saliba and Trossard battling for quarter-final spot
Defender William Saliba will hope to retain his starting role when France play Israel and Italy in their final two games in Group A2.
Saliba won his 23rd cap in the recent 2-1 victory over Belgium and will be keen to feature ahead of Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano.
A cloud hangs over the French heading into the fixtures following Kylian Mbappe’s decision to quit the squad over a disagreement with manager Didier Deschamps.
France could still be overhauled by Belgium. They host table-topping Italy on Thursday before facing Israel in Budapest on Sunday.
Leandro Trossard is in the squad and will likely feature in a three-man midfield against Italy. He has started the last two games after being omitted from the previous two squads.
Italy and France are expected to fill the top two places in the group, given that Belgium need an unlikely set of results to progress to the quarter-finals.
Brazil pair hoping to make their mark
When Brazil initially announced their squad for their latest World Cup qualifiers, Gabriel Magalhaes was the only Arsenal player on the list.
Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli were left out, but the latter has subsequently been called up as a replacement for Real Madrid star Rodrygo.
Brazil will face Venezuela and Uruguay in the latest CONMEBOL qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and will be desperate to secure positive results.
The Samba Kings have been inconsistent during the qualifying campaign but can strengthen their position with a pair of victories.
Magalhaes will likely start in the centre of defence, but Martinelli will probably be restricted to a substitute role due to the competition for attacking places.
While the pair are strong contenders to be part of Brazil’s World Cup squad if they qualify, Jesus is expected to miss out after struggling for form with Arsenal.
Defenders complete Arsenal’s international call-ups
Jurrien Timber (Netherlands), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Ukraine) and Jakub Kiwior (Poland) complete Arsenal’s international call-ups this month.
The Netherlands face Hungary and Bosnia & Herzegovina, while Ukraine meet Georgia and Albania. Poland’s opponents are Portugal and Scotland.
