Premier League leaders Manchester City have 19 players on international duty for their respective nations this month.
A number of high-profile senior players will not be involved including Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Ederson, Gabriel Jesus and Ruben Dias – the latter sidelined with injury – but Pep Guardiola will be keeping a close eye on the players who have been selected and will be hoping all the senior stars return to the Etihad Stadium unscathed ahead of a challenging run of fixtures across all competitions from April onwards.
The Citizens have four representatives away with Gareth Southgate's England squad, with Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling and John Stones all available to face Switzerland and Ivory Coast in friendly encounters at Wembley Stadium.
Portugal duo Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva have both been called up for their crucial World Cup 2022 playoff semi-final clash against Turkey; however, the former is unavailable to play as he is suspended. Should Portugal beat Turkey, both players will be in contention to play against either Italy or North Macedonia in a playoff final on March 29 for a place at this year's tournament in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Spain pair Rodri and Aymeric Laporte are expected to feature in their friendly internationals against Albania and Iceland, the latter is in contention to start his 14th successive competitive match for La Roja since his first at Euro 2020.
Ilkay Gundogan will be looking to continue his goalscoring form with Germany when they take on Israel and the Netherlands in friendly fixtures – the 31-year-old has scored three goals in his last two internationals.
The 31-year-old midfielder could come up against City teammate and Netherlands defender Nathan Ake, who will be hoping to get some international minutes under his belt against Die Mannschaft and Denmark, having featured in only six of their last 20 matches, including just one start.
© Reuters
Away from Europe, goalkeeper Zack Steffen could represent the USA on three occasions in CONCACAF Qualifying against Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica.
Man City also have a total of seven academy graduates away on international duty for England's youth sides, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Tommy Doyle – currently on loan at Stoke City and Cardiff City respectively – called up to the Under-21s squad to face Andorra and Albania.
James McAtee and Bolton Wanderers loanee James Trafford are available for the England Under-20s team who will take on Poland and Germany, while Liam Delap, Samuel Edozie, and Sunderland loanee Callum Doyle are all in contention to feature for the Under-19s squad against the Republic of Ireland, Armenia and Portugal.
Another international player City supporters will be keeping a close eye on is forward Julian Alvarez, with the January signing from River Plate hoping to add to his six international caps for Argentina when they face Venezuela and Ecuador in CONMEBOL qualifying.
MANCHESTER CITY'S INTERNATIONALS IN FULL:
England: Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling, John Stones
March 26: England vs. Switzerland – Wembley Stadium, London
March 29: England vs. Ivory Coast – Wembley Stadium, London
Portugal: Joao Cancelo, Bernardo Silva
March 24: Portugal vs. Turkey – Estadio do Dragao, Porto
Spain: Aymeric Laporte, Rodri
March 26: Spain vs. Albania – Estadi Cornella-El Prat, Catalonia
March 29: Spain vs. Iceland – Estadio Riazor, A Coruna
Germany: Ilkay Gundogan
March 26: Germany vs. Israel – Rhein-Neckar Arena, Sinsheim
March 29: Netherlands vs. Germany – Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam
Netherlands: Nathan Ake
March 26: Netherlands vs. Denmark – Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam
March 29: Netherlands vs. Germany – Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam
USA: Zack Steffen
March 25: Mexico vs. USA – Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
March 28: USA vs. Panama – Exploria Stadium, Florida
March 31: Costa Rica vs. USA – Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San Jose
Argentina: Julian Alvarez (on loan)
March 25: Argentina vs. Venezuela – La Bombonera, Buenos Aires
March 30: Ecuador vs. Argentina – Estadio Monumental Banco Pichincha, Guayaquil
England Under-21s: Tommy Doyle (on loan) Taylor Harwood-Bellis (on loan)
March 25: England Under-21s vs. Andorra Under-21s – Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
March 29: Albania Under-21s vs. England Under-21s – Elbasan Arena, Elbasan
England Under-20s: James McAtee, James Trafford (on loan)
March 25: Poland Under-20s vs. England Under-20s – Stadion Miejski, Bielsko-Biala
March 29: England Under-20s vs. Germany Under-20s – JobServe Community Stadium, Colchester
England Under-19s: Liam Delap, Samuel Edozie, Callum Doyle (on loan)
March 23: England Under-19s vs. Republic of Ireland Under-19s – Bank's Football Stadium, Walsall
March 26: England Under-19s vs. Armenia Under-19s – New York Stadium, Rotherham
March 29: England Under-19s vs. Portugal Under-19s – Technique Stadium, Chesterfield
Oliver Thomas
