AUSTRALIA Fixtures: France (Nov. 22), Tunisia (Nov. 26), Denmark (Nov. 30) STOCK CLIMBING
Harry Souttar : Saudi Arabia almost a year ago, Souttar’s return to football with Stoke City’s under-21s was noted with a keen interest in his adopted nation, as well as observed in-person by Australia’s assistant coach, Rene Meulensteen. His attempts to work his way back into Alex Neil’s first team before the Championship breaks for the World Cup will be watched with an even keener eye.
The Scottish-born defender’s injury against the Saudis represented a sliding door moment for the Socceroos during qualification and, if fit, he figures as an almost certain starter for Graham Arnold in Qatar. Given that the Socceroos will open their campaign against newly crowned Balon d’Or winner Karim Benzema , Arnold can do with all the defensive help he can get.
Daniel Arzani :
The Iranian-born attacker’s willingness and ability to take on his defender set him apart from his peers. Instead, the question has always been if he could produce enough quality football in the opening weeks of the ALM season to justify taking him over his peers. And with Marco Tilio stuck on the bench at Melbourne City and Garang Kuol yet to feature for Central Coast due to Australia under-20s duty, performances like Sunday’s will help.
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Nathaniel Atkinson Fran Karacic for the Socceroos’ starting right-back role, Atkinson departed from Hearts’ Europa Conference League tie with Fiorentina with an ankle injury after only 16 minutes, and subsequently left the stadium on crutches. Even if he’s able to make a recovery in time for Qatar, any extended period on the sidelines will open the door for his Croatian-born rival to surge ahead in the race to start.
HOW THE COUNTRY IS LOOKING
The chaos and injuries afflicting Didier Deschamps’ France are giving Australian fans scope to whimsically dream, but the task ahead of Arnold’s side to even register a point in Qatar, let alone progress from the group, is still significant. Should Ajdin Hrustic ‘s injury suffered with Hellas Verona prove serious, the outlook would worsen even more so. — Joey Lynch
SENEGAL Fixtures: Netherlands (Nov. 21), Qatar (Nov. 25), Ecuador (Nov. 29) STOCK CLIMBING
Sadio Mane :Noah Fadiga — son of 2002 World Cup hero Khalilou — netted his first Ligue 1 goal for Brest on Sunday, but was unable to help them avoid a 4-1 defeat at Nantes .
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Edouard Mendy Chelsea game for Kepa Arrizabalaga between the sticks means Mendy hasn’t featured for the Blues since Sept. 3 and that controversial victory over West Ham United . Will he play again before the squads assemble for the World Cup?
HOW THE COUNTRY IS LOOKING
Kepa’s sterling display for Chelsea against Aston Villa appears to have extinguished any hope Mendy had of making a return for the Blues under Graham Potter any time soon. What was a concern for coach Aliou Cisse is now turning into a crisis, with the keeper now likely to be without a game for a whopping 11 weeks by the time the Teranga Lions face Netherlands. — Ed Dove
TUNISIA Fixtures: Denmark (Nov. 22), Australia (Nov. 26), France (Nov. 30) STOCK CLIMBING
Hannibal Mejbri : Manchester United on loan earlier in the campaign. However, he’s now started their last two matches, playing 86 minutes in their 2-0 victory at Hull City, representing the first time in his career that he’s made the starting line-up for consecutive fixtures.
MOROCCO Fixtures: Croatia (Nov. 23), Belgium (Nov. 27), Canada (Dec. 1) STOCK CLIMBING
Nayef Aguerd :
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Hakim Ziyech :
HOW THE COUNTRY IS LOOKING
Defensively, the imminent return of Aguerd as well as Yassine Bounou ‘s masterclass for Sevilla as they defeated Mallorca — the keeper made five saves and kept a clean sheet — should give Morocco optimism they can keep the likes of Belgium and Croatia at bay in Qatar. Besiktas’ Romain Saiss , however, still remains absent due to a thigh strain. — Ed Dove
CAMEROON Fixtures: Switzerland (Nov. 24), Serbia (Nov. 28), Brazil (Dec. 2) STOCK CLIMBING
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting :Bayern Munich , with Choupo-Moting both finding the net and contributing an assist in a vivacious attacking display. At 33, the forward cannot expect to be a regular starter for Bayern, but he took this rare opportunity emphatically, demonstrating his match sharpness and enduring qualities. This was the kind of unselfish, intelligent display that should ensure he returns to the Cameroon squad for Qatar.
GHANA Fixtures: Portugal (Nov. 24), South Korea (Nov. 28), Uruguay (Dec. 2) STOCK CLIMBING
Mohammed Kudus :Excelsior 7-1. Bursting into the box only seven minutes after being introduced, Kudus stabbed home from close range; just how valuable could this in-form goal-getter be for Ghana in Qatar?
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Richard Ofori :
HOW THE COUNTRY IS LOOKING
Jordan Ayew returned to action for Crystal Palace against Leicester City despite an injury scare, while Daniel Amartey also got some game time for the Foxes as he returned to the starting XI. Both players could have key roles to play for Ghana, and coach Otto Addo certainly needs his experienced campaigners to be fit and sharp if they’re to escape Group H. — Ed Dove
JAPAN Fixtures: Germany (Nov. 23), Costa Rica (Nov. 27), Spain (Dec. 1) STOCK CLIMBING
Daichi Kamada : Eintracht Frankfurt man’s penalty brace in the weekend’s 5-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen took his tally in the Bundesliga this season to six goals — joint-fourth highest in the entire league. Already one of his team’s playmakers-in-chief, Kamada is now thriving under increased responsibility playing for a side also featuring in the Champions League.
SOUTH KOREA Fixtures: Uruguay (Nov. 24), Ghana (Nov. 28), Portugal (Dec. 2) STOCK CLIMBING
Lee Kang-In :Costa Rica and Cameroon. Nonetheless, the 21-year-old can hardly do more to impress South Korea coach Paulo Bento with Mallorca , racking up three assists in nine games so far (joint-second in LaLiga) despite his team’s inconsistent performances thus far. Lee should make Bento’s squad, but he should already have been given a chance to show what he can offer his national team.
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Jung Woo-Young :
HOW THE COUNTRY IS LOOKING
The narrative surrounding South Korea will always be centred around Son Heung-Min and how his displays will directly influence the Taegeuk Warriors’ prospects, but in Lee they have a viable alternative capable of also producing a star turn. There is a way that Bento can fit Lee into his starting XI without losing that extra bit of security which Jung offers, with Hwang In-Beom also capable of playing in a deep-lying position. But like with Moriyasu and Japan, it remains to be seen how adventurous Bento is willing to be with little time left to prepare for the World Cup. — Gabriel Tan
