SENEGAL Fixtures: Netherlands (Nov. 21), Qatar (Nov. 25), Ecuador (Nov. 29) STOCK CLIMBING
Habib Diallo & Boulaye Dia : Strasbourg and Salernitana ‘s Dia were both among the goals this weekend — a major boost for coach Aliou Cisse — while Famara Diedhiou , who led the line in the Africa Cup of Nations final, returned to action for the first time since suffering an injury in June.
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Pape Abou Cisse :
Edouard Mendy Chelsea ‘s Premier League side as new boss Graham Potter puts faith in Kepa Arrizabalaga , and his inactivity is a growing concern.
HOW ARE THEY LOOKING?
Chelsea have lost faith in Mendy at exactly the wrong time for Senegal, and a month has now passed without playing at all for the Blues. He’s such an important player for the Teranga Lions, so his place isn’t in doubt, but this is far from ideal preparation. By contrast, Kalidou Koulibaly ‘s strong return to action under Potter is encouraging news. — Ed Dove
MOROCCO Fixtures: Croatia (Nov. 23), Belgium (Nov. 27), Canada (Dec. 1) STOCK CLIMBING
Imran Louza :
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Romain Saiss :Nayef Aguerd still sidelined, the Atlas Lions cannot afford another key defensive absence.
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Hakim Ziyech has the potential to be a key player for Morocco after ending his international exile, and even though he only made a four-minute cameo as Chelsea defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers , his return to Premier League action will bring cheer to coach Walid Regragui. It was the playmaker’s first league appearance since Aug. 30, and he now needs to feature more regularly to ensure that he’s match sharp for the World Cup. Ziyech has come down with illness ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League game at AC Milan . — Ed Dove
CAMEROON Fixtures: Switzerland (Nov. 24), Serbia (Nov. 28), Brazil (Dec. 2) STOCK CLIMBING
Andre Onana : Samir Handanovic at Inter Milan had been a concern for Cameroon fans, leaving their No. 1 goalkeeper short of match sharpness. Following some underwhelming displays by Handanovic, coach Simone Inzaghi opted to hand Onana his first Serie A start against Sassuolo at the weekend, and while it wasn’t a flawless display — the ex-Ajax man conceded — it now appears that he’ll be given the chance to impress in the weeks to come. Midfielder Samuel Oum Gouet also returned to action for KV Mechelen, having missed the previous three fixtures.
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Martin Hongla : Hellas Verona , and hasn’t featured since Sept. 4, while Rigobert Song will surely be hoping for Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to get a little more playing time than the eight minutes he was afforded in Der Klassiker .
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Onana’s “promotion” at Inter is a major boost, while the rest of the squad is looking healthy. Song will watch on with intrigue to see how new Lyon head coach Laurent Blanc uses Karl Toko Ekambi in the coming weeks, while ambitious FA president Samuel Eto’o should pull out the stops to attempt to convince Youssoufa Moukoko , who became the youngest goal scorer in Der Klassiker , to ditch Germany for Cameroon in time for the World Cup. — Ed Dove
GHANA Fixtures: Portugal (Nov. 24), South Korea (Nov. 28), Uruguay (Dec. 2) STOCK CLIMBING
Daniel-Kofi Kyereh SC Freiburg player has blossomed into a valuable element in the Ghana squad since making his first start for the national side, and is reaching the best form of his career just in time for the World Cup. His delightful goal against Hertha Berlin on Sunday helped the Breisgau-Brazilians to an away draw, and he’s now scored three goals in his last three matches. Considering this is his first campaign in a top division, Kyereh ought to be considered among Africa’s breakout stars of the season.
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Daniel Amartey : Wout Faes ‘s arrival at Leicester City has resigned Amartey to a bench role for Brendan Rodgers’ beleaguered Foxes. He was introduced in the 67th minute with Leicester leading 1-0 at Bournemouth on Saturday, with Rodgers looking to preserve the visitors’ advantage. They lost 2-1.
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Kyereh’s emergence as a goal threat from midfield comes as a boost to a Black Stars side who have scored just three goals in their last five matches. However, Thomas Partey remaining injury-free and continuing to prove influential as Arsenal maintain their strong start to the season is Ghana’s real positive of the week. — Ed Dove
JAPAN Fixtures: Germany (Nov. 23), Costa Rica (Nov. 27), Spain (Dec. 1) STOCK CLIMBING
Takehiro Tomiyasu : Arsenal side, Tomiyasu benefitted from an injury to Oleksandr Zinchenko to reclaim his place in Mikel Arteta’s starting XI. And the versatile defender certainly acquitted himself admirably, holding his own against the fearsome Mohamed Salah in an impressive 3-2 win for the Gunners.
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Kaoru Mitoma :
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Tomiyasu was always going to be a lock for Japan in the backline, but the fact that he could potentially get more playing time for an Arsenal outfit who are flying high bodes well for the Samurai Blue, especially given captain and centre-back partner Maya Yoshida is facing a far less happy time in the Bundesliga with Schalke at the moment. But Mitoma’s inactivity could start being a concern for coach Hajime Moriyasu, especially given others like Takumi Minamino at Monaco and Vissel Kobe’s Yuya Osako are struggling to make an impression and competing for their clubs at the wrong end of the table respectively. — Gabriel Tan
IR IRAN Fixtures: England (Nov. 21), Wales (Nov. 25), United States (Nov. 29) STOCK CLIMBING
Karim Ansarifard : Manchester United in the Europa League.
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Sardar Azmoun :
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Ansarifard finding form is a bonus, but he is unlikely to be able to fully fill any potential void should Azmoun be unavailable. The double act of Azmoun and Porto striker Mehdi Taremi is one that would have caused problems for any opposition defence. The Iran faithful will now have their fingers crossed that the Leverkusen man recovers in time to make Queiroz’s squad, even if he has to miss the first game or so. — Gabriel Tan
