International breaks for many a football fan are a tedious few weeks that inevitably rear their heads at the worst imaginable time for your side.
The whole routine changes and we find ourselves cheering on players of our usual mortal enemies; uniting under the banner of three rather aggressively looking blue lions.
The start of the break saw us transported to a bygone era, as WAG Coleen Rooney, turned Sherlock Holmes, donned her tweed Deerstalker and deduced that the root of all her public anguish lay at the hands of a fellow footballer’s wife.
It’s……..Rebekah Vardy.
The Twitter spat took us back to the early noughties as Footballers’ Wives looked to be getting a sixth season.
So now the actual excitement of the international break has subsided, let’s try and get some enjoyment out of a very, well, bleak looking week.
Czech Republic v England
Gareth Southgate’s men will face a Czech outfit who will be out for revenge after England’s five goal humiliation over them in March.
The Three Lions know that a win will book their spot in next summer’s European Championship, and are expected to get the job done tonight in Tommy from Come Fly With Me’s favourite city of Prague.
Chelsea duo Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori have received their first call ups to the senior squad; something that caused a lot of debate for our podcast team to discuss.
With James Maddison pulling out through illness, Chelsea starlet Mason Mount is expected to get the nod and win his first start.
After the chaos at St Mary’s though, that saw the world’s fourth best team ship three goals to a nation founded two years after the final ever episode of Footballers’ Wives hit our screens, all eyes will be on England’s defence to see how they respond.
England should win comfortably, but don’t be too hopeful of a clean sheet.
Our prediction? 1-4.
Wales v Croatia
Slovakia’s second half equaliser on Thursday has left Wales in need of getting something on Sunday as they welcome their fans’ second favourite team: Croatia.
Ryan Giggs’ side succumb to a narrow 2-1 defeat away at the World Cup finalists in June, and the fourth placed Welsh know a win by a three-goal margin will lift them into the promised land of the qualification spots in Group E.
Derby County’s Tom Lawrence is likely to feature despite being under investigation for an alleged drink driving offence, whilst it’s touch and go as to whether Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey will play according to Giggs.
“He has a chance for Sunday. He has a little bit of tightness in his abductor,” he told the press. “He did a bit of training today. The physio has stayed back to work with him. We are hopeful that he will be available for Sunday.”
Our prediction? 2-0.
North Korea v South Korea
Quite a lot more is at stake than just both Korean sides’ 100% records in the preliminary group stages of Qatar 2022 qualification.
The Chollima welcome the Taegeuk Warriors to the remarkable 150,000-seater Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in Pyongyang, in a game that surely won’t be ending with all the players still on the field.
The North Koreans sit 76 places below their peninsular sharing neighbours in the world rankings, but have firepower going forward in strikers Pak Kwang-ryong and Juventus youngster Han Kwang-song.
The sides have met on many occasions prior, yet this game will be just the second to be hosted north of the DMZ – the other seeing North beat South 2-1 in a 1990 friendly.
Tottenham’s Son Heung-min is no doubt where the majority of the visitor’s threat will come from but keep an eye out for RB Salzburg’s Hwang Hee-chan; still buoyed by the elation of skipping past Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk to score at Anfield.
Our prediction? Fireworks.
[Cover image via Wembley Stadium]
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