Sane eases injury fears as several Fantasy assets get the night off

A week of international fixtures began in earnest on Wednesday, with Germany and Wales among the teams in action.

We’ll be bringing you regular round-ups from around the world over the next seven days, with the primary focus on Fantasy assets.

You can find out which Premier League players will be competing for their respective countries by clicking here.

Germany 1-1 Serbia

• Leroy Sane (£9.3m) – 90 minutes
• Ilkay Gundogan (£5.4m) – 90 minutes
• Antonio Rudiger (£5.9m) – 0 minutes
• Aleksandar Mitrovic (£6.4m) – 0 minutes

Leroy Sane (£9.3m) looks to have escaped serious injury despite hobbling off in stoppage time of Germany’s 1-1 draw with Serbia on Wednesday.

The Manchester City winger was the recipient of a reckless challenge from substitute Milan Pavkov, who was deservedly shown a straight red card.

Sane said after full-time:

The foul looked worse than it was, everything is fine with my ankle.

We had a few good moments but we have to deliver more. I try to push the team forward. We are looking forward to Sunday.

His national team manager, Joachim Low, added:

It was a vicious foul. Sane was lucky and got away with not getting hurt but such fouls can break bones.

Sane was part of a youthful Germany side that failed to really convince against a similarly experimental Serbian team, though the City winger grew increasingly influential as the game wore on and was arguably Die Mannschaft’s most effective player from an attacking perspective.

Initially lining up on the left flank in a 4-2-3-1, Sane interestingly did much of his better work on the opposite side of the pitch after half-time – although the introduction of Marco Reus was also a catalyst for Germany’s second-half revival.

Sane registered more penalty box touches than any of his team-mates and as many as the entire Serbia team combined, while his total of 12 attempted dribbles, nine of them successful, was more than the rest of his colleagues put together.

No-one had more chances than Sane in Wolfsburg either, with the Manchester City midfielder spurning one glorious headed opportunity midway through the second half and then testing the visitors’ impressive goalkeeper, Marko Dmitrovic, with an effort from distance.

Sane also supplied a “big chance” for City team-mate Ilkay Gundogan (£5.4m), who saw his shot cleared off the line by Nemanja Maksimovic after collecting Sane’s backheeled pass and rounding Dmitrovic.

Gundogan completed the game and quietly impressed in the “double pivot”.

The City midfielder, who has taken on a more prominent role at dead-ball situations in Kevin De Bruyne‘s (£9.7m) absence at club level, was again involved at corners and free-kicks for his country last night.

Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger (£5.9m) remained an unused substitute for the hosts, while Aleksandar Mitrovic (£6.4m) was one of a handful of high-profile Serbia players not involved in this international friendly with one eye perhaps on the Euro 2020 qualifier against Portugal on Monday.

Nemanja Matic (£5.0m) pulled out of the Serbia squad on Tuesday with an unspecified injury.

Wales 1-0 Trinidad and Tobago

• Paul Dummett (£4.4m) – 61 minutes
• Danny Ward (£4.3m) – 45 minutes
• Chris Mepham (£4.5m) – 0 minutes
• David Brooks (£5.1m) – 0 minutes
• Aaron Ramsey (£7.1m) – 0 minutes
• Ben Davies (£5.6m) – 0 minutes
• Wayne Hennessey (£4.5m) – 0 minutes

Newcastle United’s Paul Dummett (£4.4m) and Leicester’s reserve goalkeeper Danny Ward (£4.3m) were the only two Fantasy Premier League assets to see game-time at the Racecourse Ground on Wednesday.

An extremely youthful Wales side made heavy work of defeating Trinidad and Tobago in their friendly in Wrexham, with Liverpool’s Ben Woodburn (not listed in FPL) scoring a stoppage-time winner for the hosts.

Dummett lasted an hour as the left-sided centre-back in Ryan Giggs’ experimental starting XI and the Magpies’ defender indeed played in that position for his club (albeit as part of a three-man backline) in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Saturday.

Dummett’s medium-term first-team prospects at Newcastle look uncertain, however, with Fabian Schar (£4.6m) back from suspension in Gameweek 33 and Jamaal Lascelles (£4.7m) not thought to have a serious knee injury.

Ward played the opening 45 minutes between the sticks for his country before being replaced at half-time.

Chris Mepham (£4.5m), David Brooks (£5.1m), Aaron Ramsey (£7.1m), Ben Davies (£5.6m) and Wayne Hennessey (£4.5m) weren’t part of Giggs’ match-day squad but will likely return to contention for the Euro 2020 qualifier against Slovakia on Sunday.

Ramsey should be fit to feature after picking up a minor thigh injury, with Giggs saying:

Aaron’s just got a slight knock to his thigh and we are monitoring that this week, but he should be OK for the weekend.

Brooks was also reported to be carrying a knock, with Giggs saying of his inexperienced line-up on Wednesday:

Originally when I planned the game, it was going to be a first half and then we make changes. But Brooksy took a knock at the weekend on his ankle.

Round-up

Morgan Gibbs-White (£4.3m) played the full 90 minutes as England under-19s defeated their Czech counterparts 4-1 at St. George’s Park.

Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (£4.5m) scored twice in that match, with Angel Gomes (£5.0m) and Steven Sessegnon (£4.0m) also getting run-outs.

Liverpool’s Curtis Jones (£4.5m) and Rafa Camacho (£5.0m) were on the winning sides for England under-18s and Portugal under-19s respectively.

England’s senior team are in action on Friday and look set to be without Marcus Rashford (£7.6m), with reports suggesting he won’t feature against the Czech Republic.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.6m) became the fifth England player to withdraw from international duty yesterday, with a back injury cited as the reason.

A statement from the FA said:

The right-back arrived nursing a back injury and, despite progress in recent days, it was unlikely he would be able to play a role in the forthcoming UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers. The 20-year-old will now continue his rehabilitation at his club.