With the international break about to get underway, Enzo Maresca will be saying goodbye to plenty of his Chelsea players as they head off to represent their country.
The run into the final international break will have Maresca feeling good about the rest of the season.
Chelsea have been putting on some fine displays in recent weeks, hammering Ajax, pipping Liverpool at the death and dominating Spurs — to list a few.
Now it’s a reprieve from club action for fans but no time off for Chelsea players, many of whom have been called up.
From the main squad:
João Pedro – Brazil
Andrey Santos – Brazil
Estêvão Willian – Brazil
Filip Jørgensen – Denmark
Moisés Caicedo – Ecuador
Trevoh Chalobah – England
Reece James – England
Malo Gusto – France
Marc Cucurella – Spain
Josh Acheampong – England U21
Tyrique George – England U21
Jamie Gittens – England U21
Marc Guiu – Spain U21
Luckily for Maresca, none of his players have far to go.
Joao Pedro and Estevao Willian celebrate during Brazil against Chile in a World Cup qualifier.
Photo by Ruano Carneiro/Getty Images
Estevao and Joao Pedro’s Brazil fixtures are in Europe
With Brazil already qualified for next summer’s World Cup, it’s just a couple of friendlies for Estevao Willian and Joao Pedro.
Their first friendly against Nicolas Jackson’s Senegal takes place in London, and the following match against Tunisia is in Lille. Andrey Santos has also been given the call-up by Carlo Ancelotti.
We have seen plenty of evidence of struggles for South American’s returning from international duty, feeling the effects of jet lag — and Chelsea are in the early kick-off slot when they return.
But Maresca will have no such concern with the Brazilians this time around.
Chelsea have a huge tie against Barcelona on the horizon, so he’ll be happy to avoid any potential setbacks when they return to Cobham as a full ensemble.
International fixtures for your Chelsea fix
While not a regular in the Chelsea side, Filip Jorgensen might be worth checking out. He has an all-important clash with Scotland on Tuesday the 18th — two sides level on points at the top of the group.
If that doesn’t entice, Marc Cucurella is involved in a match of similar stakes as well, on at the very same time. They play second-placed Turkiye in what could be a group decider.
Malo Gusto can also earn qualification against Ukraine on Tuesday the 13th. Gusto is fresh off his first Chelsea goal and could play a part in France securing top spot in their group.
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Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images
There aren’t too many gripping options, with many countries’ fates already sealed, but those three games at least have some stakes.
Despite plenty of international fixtures to watch, most Chelsea fans will be counting down the days until they see their side back in action against Burnley.