With plenty of Premier League players featuring all over the globe during the international break, we’ve closely monitored the activity of all of the key assets over the past 10 days.
As domestic duties prepare to recommence on Saturday, players who have featured on the other side of the world, particularly on either Tuesday night or the early hours of Wednesday morning, could well arrive back on our shores late and potentially fatigued, which is something worth taking into consideration as we plan for Gameweek 4.
Arsenal
As is often the case, Alexis Sanchez will arrive back late from international duty on the other side of the world, but that is normally not a problem for the attacker, who is usually trusted by Arsene Wenger to start on the Saturday immediately after international breaks.
Shkodran Mustafi has recovered from a knock and is in full training, while Olivier Giroud’s match fitness should have stepped up a notch or two having got 128 minutes under his belt playing for France.
David Ospina – Colombia (01/09 (h) v Venezuela in Barranquilla and 07/09 (a) v Brazil in Manaus) – 180 minutes.
Shkodran Mustafi and Mesut Ozil – Germany (31/08 (h) v Finland in Monchengladbach and 04/09 (a) v Norway in Oslo) – Mustafi only played 90 minutes against Finland. He picked up a slight knock in that match and was an unused sub in the following fixtures. Ozil played 27 minutes off the bench against Finland, while he played the full match against Norway.
Hector Bellerin – Spain U21 (01/09 (h) v San Marino in Castellon de la Plana and 05/09 (a) v Sweden in Malmo) – 180 minutes.
Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud – France (01/09 (a) v Italy in Bari and 06/09 (a) v Belarus in Borisov) – Koscielny played 83 minutes against Italy, and the full 90 minutes in the goalless draw with Belarus. Giroud played 45 minutes in Bari, and scored in the 3-1 win. He was substituted after 83 minutes against Belarus.
Granit Xhaka – Switzerland (06/09 (h) v Portugal in Basel) – Started in Switzerland’s impressive 2-0 win, but was sent off in stoppage time for a second bookable offence.
Mohamed Elneny – Egypt (30/08 (h) v Guinea in Borg El Arab and 06/09 (a) v South Africa in Johannesburg) – Played the full match against Guinea, and 78 minutes in the 1-0 defeat to South Africa.
Theo Walcott – England (04/09 (a) v Slovakia in Trnava) – Played 19 minutes as a substitute.
Alexis Sanchez – Chile (02/09 (a) v Paraguay in Asuncion and 07/09 (h) v Bolivia in Santiago) – Played all 180 minutes.
Bournemouth
There shouldn’t be any major concerns for Eddie Howe following the international break, with Brad Smith having the furthest distance to travel and the heaviest workload. The defender isn’t expected to start against West Brom on Saturday in any case, with Charlie Daniels the likely starter at left-back for the Cherries.
Brad Smith – Australia (01/09 (h) v Iraq in Perth and 06/09 (a) v UAE in Abu Dhabi) – 180 minutes.
Nathan Ake – Holland U21 (02/09 (a) v Belarus in Minsk) – 90 minutes.
Marc Wilson and Harry Arter – Republic of Ireland (31/08 (h) v Oman in Dublin and 05/09 (a) v Serbia in Belgrade – Both played the full 90 minutes against Oman, with Arter registering an assist in the 4-0 win. Neither player featured against Serbia.
Ryan Fraser – Scotland U21 (02/09 (h) v Macedonia in Edinburgh and 06/09 (a) v Ukraine in Kiev) – Played 87 minutes in the first match, but didn’t feature against Ukraine.
Max Gradel – Ivory Coast (03/09 (h) v Sierra Leone in Bouake) – Played 21 minutes as a substitute.
Josh King – Norway (31/08 (h) v Belarus in Oslo and 04/09 (h) v Germany in Oslo) – Played 45 minutes against Belarus, and 72 minutes against Germany.
Burnley
Club-record signing Jeff Hendrick will join up with his new team-mates in confident mood having netted for the Republic of Ireland, while Sam Vokes also scored for Wales in their 4-0 win over Moldova. There shouldn’t be any concerns over players arriving back late for Sean Dyche ahead of the visit of Hull to Turf Moor on Saturday.
Stephen Ward and Jeff Hendrick – Republic of Ireland (31/08 (h) v Oman in Dublin and 05/09 (a) v Serbia in Belgrade – Ward played 45 minutes in the first match, and 70 minutes in the second. Club-record signing Hendrick played 45 minutes against Oman, and 76 minutes in the 2-2 draw with Serbia, scoring the opening goal.
Steven Defour – Belgium (01/09 (h) v Spain in Brussels and 06/09 (a) v Cyprus in Nicosia) – Limited to just three minutes as a substitute against Spain.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson – Iceland (05/09 (a) v Ukraine in Kiev) – Played 85 minutes in the 1-1 draw.
Sam Vokes – Wales (05/09 (h) v Moldova in Cardiff) – Played 75 minutes, and scored the opening goal in the 4-0 win.
Chelsea
Willian will arrive back late to west London following his exertions with Brazil, but with Chelsea travelling to Swansea on Sunday, he should have enough time to recover and take part in some of the pre-match preparations.
The likes of N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard had heavy workloads for France and Belgium respectively, but that shouldn’t be an issue at this early stage of the season. Diego Costa continued his fine early season form with two goals and an assist for Spain.
Asmir Begovic – Bosnia-Herzegovina (06/09 (h) v Estonia in Zenica) – 90 minutes.
Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard and Michy Batshuayi – Belgium (01/09 (h) v Spain in Brussels and 06/09 (a) v Cyprus in Nicosia) – Courtois and Hazard played all 180 minutes, with the latter providing an assist in the 3-0 win over Cyprus. Batshuayi was an unused substitute against Spain, and played 16 minutes off the bench in Cyprus, missing a penalty in the final stages.
Gary Cahill – England (04/09 (a) v Slovakia in Trnava) – 90 minutes.
Branislav Ivanovic – Serbia (05/09 (h) v Republic of Ireland in Belgrade) – 90 minutes.
Cesar Azpilicueta and Diego Costa – Spain (01/09 (a) v Belgium in Brussels and 05/09 (h) v Lichtenstein in Leon – Azpilicueta was limited to just 31 minutes as a substitute against Belgium. Costa played 63 minutes as a substitute in Brussels, and registered an assist in the 2-0 win. Played 69 minutes in the 8-0 win over Lichtenstein, scoring two goals in the process.
N’Golo Kante – France (01/09 (a) v Italy in Bari and 06/09 (a) v Belarus in Borisov) – 180 minutes.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek – England U21 (06/09 (h) v Norway in Colchester) – Played 80 minutes, and scored in the 6-1 victory.
Willian – Brazil (02/09 (a) v Ecuador in Quito and 07/09 (h) v Colombia in Manaus) – Started both matches, playing 61 minutes against Ecuador, and 66 minutes against Colombia.
John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses – Nigeria (03/09 (h) v Tanzania in Uyo) – Both players started the match, with Mikel playing 63 minutes, while Moses logged 84 minutes.
Crystal Palace
After starting Palace’s last match against Bournemouth, and getting 180 minutes under his belt playing for France, goalkeeper Steve Mandanda should be nearing full fitness ahead of the trip to Middlesbrough on Saturday following a disrupted pre-season.
Wayne Hennessey recovered from injury to turn out for Wales, though Christian Benteke didn’t log any minutes for Belgium and could still be lacking a bit of sharpness.
Steve Mandanda – France (01/09 (a) v Italy in Bari and 06/09 (a) v Belarus in Borisov) – 180 minutes.
Wayne Hennessey and Joe Ledley – Wales (05/09 (h) v Moldova in Cardiff) – Hennessey played all 90 minutes in the 4-0 win, while Ledley was substituted after 67 minutes.
Pape Souare – Senegal (02/09 (h) v Namibia in Dakar – Was handed a start in the 2-0 win.
Lee Chung-yong – South Korea (01/09 (h) v China in Seoul and 06/09 (a) v Syria in Seremban) – Played 83 minutes in the 3-2 win over China, and got on the scoresheet. Also played the full match against Syria.
Christian Benteke – Belgium (01/09 (h) v Spain in Brussels and 06/09 (a) v Cyprus in Nicosia) – Was an unused substitute in both matches.
Everton
Ronald Koeman will be boosted by the return to fitness of Seamus Coleman, with the right-back likely to come into contention for a return at Sunderland on Monday night.
Romelu Lukaku should also arrive back full of confidence after scoring a brace against Cyprus, but Ramiro Funes Mori and Enner Valencia did both play 180 minutes, and face long flights home, meaning they’re perhaps likely to start on the bench.
Ashley Williams – Wales (05/09 (h) v Moldova in Cardiff) – Was substituted after 82 minutes.
Seamus Coleman – Republic of Ireland (31/08 (h) v Oman in Dublin and 05/09 (a) v Serbia in Belgrade – Was fit to face Serbia, and played the full 90 minutes.
Ramiro Funes Mori – Argentina (02/09 (h) v Uruguay in Mendoza and 07/09 (a) v Venezuela in Merida) – 180 minutes.
Idrissa Gueye – Senegal (02/09 (h) v Namibia in Dakar – Was handed a start in the 2-0 win.
Bryan Oviedo – Costa Rica (03/09 (a) v Haiti in Port-au-Prince and 07/09 (h) v Panama in San Jose) – Was an unused substitute in the first match, but played the full 90 minutes against Panama.
Gerard Deulofeu – Spain U21 (01/09 (h) v San Marino in Castellon de la Plana and 05/09 (a) v Sweden in Malmo) – Played 49 minutes in the first match before being substituted, and 83 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Sweden, where he scored Spain’s only goal.
Kevin Mirallas and Romelu Lukaku – Belgium (01/09 (h) v Spain in Brussels and 06/09 (a) v Cyprus in Nicosia) – Mirallas only played 13 minutes off the bench against Spain. Lukaku played 23 minutes off the bench against Spain, and 74 minutes against Cyprus, scoring two goals in the 3-0 win.
Yannick Bolasie – DR Congo (04/09 (h) v Central African Republic in Kinshasha) – Started the match and teed up the opener in a 4-1 win.
Enner Valencia – Ecuador (01/09 (h) v Brazil in Quito and 07/09 (a) v Peru in Lima) – 180 minutes.
Hull City
Abel Hernandez faces a long flight home, but having barely featured for Uruguay, he should be fine to lead the line against Burnley on Saturday. Robert Snodgrass recovered from injury to score a hat-trick against Malta.
David Marshall, Andrew Robertson and Robert Snodgrass – Scotland (04/09 (a) v Malta in Ta’Qali – The trio all played 90 minutes in the 5-1 victory, with Snodgrass scoring a hat-trick.
Ahmed Elmohamady – Egypt (30/08 (h) v Guinea in Borg El Arab and 06/09 (a) v South Africa in Johannesburg) – Limited to just 45 minutes as a substitute in the first match against Guinea.
Markus Henriksen and Adama Diomande – Norway (31/08 (h) v Belarus in Oslo and 04/09 (h) v Germany in Oslo) – Henriksen didn’t feature in the first match, but played 61 minutes in the 3-0 defeat to Germany. Diomande played 27 minutes against Belarus, and the full 90 minutes against Germany.
Abel Hernandez – Uruguay (02/09 (a) v Argentina in Mendoza and 07/09 (h) v Paraguay in Montevideo) – Limited to just 14 minutes off the bench against Paraguay.
Leicester
There shouldn’t be any major concerns for Claudio Ranieri ahead of Saturday’s trip to Anfield, although Wes Morgan will need to be checked having played 180 minutes over the international break, and will face limited preparation time following a flight back to England from Jamaica.
Wes Morgan – Jamaica (03/09 (a) v Panama in Ciudad de Panama and 07/09 (h) v Haiti in Kingston) – 180 minutes.
Daniel Amartey – Ghana (03/09 (h) v Rwanda in Accra and 06/09 (a) v Russia in Moscow) – Featured in the first match, but was an unused substitute against Russia.
Andy King – Wales (05/09 (h) v Moldova in Cardiff) – 90 minutes.
Bartosz Kapustka – Poland (04/09 (a) v Kazakhstan in Astana) – Played 83 minutes, and grabbed the opening goal in the 2-2 draw.
Demarai Gray – England U21 (06/09 (h) v Norway in Colchester) – Played 10 minutes as a substitute.
Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani – Algeria (04/09 (h) v Lesotho in Blida – Both played the full match, with Mahrez scoring twice and providing one assist, while Slimani only managed a single assist.
Ahmed Musa – Nigeria (03/09 (h) v Tanzania in Uyo) – Played the full 90 minutes, and provided the assist for Kelechi Iheanacho in the 1-0 win.
Shinji Okazaki – Japan (01/09 (h) v UAE in Saitama and 06/09 (a) v Thailand in Bangkok) – Played 66 minutes against UAE, but was an unused substitute against Thailand.
Liverpool
Sadio Mane has allayed any fears that he picked up a slight knock whilst featuring for Senegal and confirmed he is fit to face Leicester on Saturday. Liverpool have made special arrangements to ensure that Philippe Coutinho will arrive back to Merseyside this morning, as opposed to later tonight. The playmaker but didn’t start either match for Brazil, and should be fine to start against the Foxes. Ragnar Klavan is likely to miss out this weekend after aggravating a knee problem whilst on duty with Estonia.
Simon Mignolet and Divock Origi – Belgium (01/09 (h) v Spain in Brussels and 06/09 (a) v Cyprus in Nicosia) – Mignolet was an unused substitute in both matches. Origi was substituted after 67 minutes against Spain, but was an unused substitute in Cyprus.
Ragnar Klavan – Estonia (06/09 (a) v Bosnia-Herzegovina in Zenica) – 90 minutes.
Nathaniel Clyne, Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge – England (04/09 (a) v Slovakia in Trnava) – Henderson was substituted after 64 minutes, while Sturridge played eight minutes off the bench. Lallana played all 90 minutes, and scored his first international goal in stoppage time to help secure a 1-0 win. Clyne was an unused substitute.
Georginio Wijnaldum – Holland (01/09 (h) v Greece in Eindhoven and 06/09 (a) v Sweden in Solna) – Played 72 minutes in the first match, scoring in the 1-1 draw, and played 66 minutes against Sweden before being substituted.
Marko Grujic – Serbia U21 (02/09 (a) v Italy in Vicenza and 06/09 (h) v Republic of Ireland in Novi Sad) – Played 90 minutes against Italy, and was substituted after 76 minutes in the 3-2 victory over Republic of Ireland.
Sadio Mane – Senegal (02/09 (h) v Namibia in Dakar – Was substituted after picking up a slight knock, but has since returned to Liverpool, and has been declared fit to face Leicester on Saturday.
Philippe Coutinho – Brazil (02/09 (a) v Ecuador in Quito and 07/09 (h) v Colombia in Manaus) – Played 29 minutes as a substitute in the first match, and 24 minutes off the bench against Colombia, setting up Neymar’s winning goal in the 2-1 victory.
Man City
Pablo Zabaleta and Nicolas Otamendi will need to be assessed having played every minute for Argentina in their two matches, and will have limited preparation time ahead of the Saturday lunchtime kick-off against Man United. David Silva and Kelechi Iheanacho were both among the goals for Spain and Nigeria respectively.
Pablo Zabaleta and Nicolas Otamendi – Argentina (02/09 (h) v Uruguay in Mendoza and 07/09 (a) v Venezuela in Merida) – Both played all 180 minutes.
John Stones and Raheem Sterling – England (04/09 (a) v Slovakia in Trnava) – Stones played all 90 minutes in the 1-0 win, while Sterling was substituted after 71 minutes.
David Silva and Nolito – Spain (01/09 (a) v Belgium in Brussels and 05/09 (h) v Lichtenstein in Leon – Silva played 75 minutes against Belgium, and scored both goals in the 2-0 win. He played the full match against Lichtenstein, scoring two goals and adding an assist. Nolito was an unused substitute in the first match, and came on as a half-time substitute against Lichtenstein. He made a significant impact off the bench, providing three assists in the 8-0 win.
Kevin de Bruyne – Belgium (01/09 (h) v Spain in Brussels and 06/09 (a) v Cyprus in Nicosia) – Played 87 minutes in the first match, and the full 90 minutes against Cyprus.
Kelechi Iheanacho – Nigeria (03/09 (h) v Tanzania in Uyo) – Played the full 90 minutes, and sored the winning goal in the 1-0 win.
