**We are once again in an international break as the Premier League goes on hold for a weekend, and we're left with two weeks of pretending to care about qualifiers and whatnot.**
With England already assured of their place in next year's tournament, there's little for us English folk to get excited about with the Premier League leaving a void in our weekends.
For those from elsewhere, or those who can find enjoyment in any old game, I guess there's still plenty to be enthused about.
If you're a Newcastle United fan and you like to watch our lads in action for their country, you may be robbed of seeing Sandro Tonali doing his thing for Italy, as Gennaro Gattuso has revealed a cunning plan for his midfield maestro.
Gennaro Gattuso won't risk Sandro Tonali on Sunday if he doesn't need to
Gennaro Gattuso has a plan for Sandro Tonali
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Italy take on Moldova and then Norway in their qualifying group, with Norway first and Italy second. Should Norway beat Estonia this week, which is extremely likely, Italy can not top the group, meaning they will have to qualify for the World Cup via the Play-Offs in March.
Should Norway slip up this week, then when the two sides meet on Sunday, Italy could overtake Norway and thus qualify automatically.
Sandro Tonali is currently one yellow card away from a one-game suspension, so Gattuso will start the Newcastle midfielder in the game against Moldova. If he picks up another yellow card, he misses the game against Norway. However, if he were to get through Moldova without a booking and then play against Norway and pick up a yellow in that game, he'd miss the first World Cup Qualifying play-off in March, and Gattuso would rather not take that risk, as he told reporters today.
> _"I spoke to Sandro Tonali 10 days ago.__“Surely we can’t afford to miss an important player like him for the semi-finals \[in March 2026\].__“I think it is difficult that he will play against Norway.”_
Tonali could play both games for Italy should Norway lose against Estonia
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There's an outside chance that Tonali does face Norway, but that would only be if they fail to get the win against Estonia and Tonali doesn't pick up a booking against Moldova. If there's a chance Italy can seal qualification on Sunday, then Tonali will play. Get it? Got it? Good.
As Newcastle fans, that's good news as it halves the chances of Tonali picking up an injury during a game.
Man, I'm bored with the international break already.