Five games to watch during the international break

Club football will stop for a while as players head out to represent their countries for the Euro qualifiers. The international breaks calendar shows that all the top European nations will be in action between 18th of March to the 26th. 

Below we have listed some of the most exciting games during the international break for fans to enjoy this month.  

1- Italy vs England (Thursday, 23 March)

Italy shocked everyone by winning the Euro 2020, with the Azzurri defeating England on penalties  after the match ended 1-1 even after extra-time. However, their subsequent failure to qualify for the World Cup was even more shocking for football fans around the world. They missed out on the prestigious tournament after a 92nd-minute loss to North Macedonia in their playoff semifinal in March. 

England also failed to meet expectations in Qatar as they couldn’t proceed beyond the quarter-finals with France defeating 2-1. Gareth Southgate’s men will be aiming for revenge when they meet Italy on Thursday.  

2- France vs Netherlands (Friday, 24 March) 

France came very close to defending their World Cup crown last year as they beat Poland, England and Morocco to make it to the final. However, after a very close game, they eventually lost to Argentina on penalties. 

Les Blues will now return to action this month as they take on Netherlands at the Stade de France. Oranje also went out of the tournament after a penalty shootout loss to Argentina in the quarter-finals. Both France and Netherlands boast a lot of quality in their ranks and it will be interesting to see who wins the match on Friday. 

3- Sweden vs Belgium (Friday, 24 March)

Sweden couldn’t make it to the World Cup but they have been impressive in their recent matches. They have been unbeaten in their previous five games, with the Blue and Yellow winning their most recent four. 

Janne Andersson’s side will now face Belgium who will enter the match on the back of a disappointing campaign in Qatar. The Red Devils couldn’t even make it to the knockouts after suffering a defeat and a draw to Morocco and Croatia respectively. 

4- Spain vs Norway (Saturday, 25 March)

Spain were not very convincing in the group stages of the World Cup but they still managed to make it to the knockouts after winning over Costa Rica and securing a draw against Germany. But La Roja fell at the first hurdle as they lost to Morocco in the round of 16 on penalties. 

Norway have such a gem of a player in Erling Haaland who has taken the Premier League by storm after moving to Manchester United in the summer. However, the Lions couldn’t qualify for the prestigious tournament after finishing third in their qualification group. 

5- Croatia vs Wales (Saturday, 25 March)

Croatia played an impressive game against Brazil in the World Cup quarter-finals to knock the South American side out of the competition. But their performance against Argentina was poor as they lost the semi-final with a comfortable 3-0 scoreline. 

Zlatko Dalic’s side will now go head-to-head with Wales who will enter Saturday’s fixture on the back of an embarrassing campaign in Qatar. Rob Page’s side finished last in Group B after failing to win any of their three matches.