We begin our round-up of the Premier League players involved in international action with a look at Wednesday and Thursday’s fixtures.
Subscribers can view data on some of the matches listed below in our Members’ Area, with details available here.
Brazil 1-1 Senegal
- Ederson (£6.1m) – 90 minutes
- Gabriel Jesus (£9.5m) – 90 minutes
- Roberto Firmino (£9.6m) – 59 minutes
- Richarlison (£7.9m) – 18 minutes
- Fabinho (£5.5m) – 0 minutes
- Sadio Mane (£11.7m) – 90 minutes
- Ismaila Sarr (£6.3m) – 90 minutes
- Cheikhou Kouyate (£4.9m) – 66 minutes
Roberto Firmino (£9.6m) and Sadio Mane (£11.7m) came up against one another as Brazil and Senegal played out a 1-1 draw in Singapore.
Both players were involved in the only two goals of the game, too.
Firmino, playing as the lone striker in Brazil’s 4-2-3-1, latched onto a Gabriel Jesus (£9.5m) pass early in the game to superbly chip Alfred Gomis and give Selecao the lead, although that was to be the Liverpool striker’s only attempt on goal of the match as he roamed deep and wide from his central role.
Firmino teed up Neymar for a big chance just before the break and was withdrawn on the hour-mark, giving him a welcome breather after his exertions with Liverpool in recent weeks.
Mane wasn’t to be handed a rest, however, lasting the full 90 minutes – although unlike Brazil, who are again in action on Sunday in Singapore, this was Senegal’s only fixture of the international break.
The Liverpool winger was lively in his usual role on the left flank, firing a fiercely struck shot at Ederson (£6.1m) on 25 minutes and going close to bagging the winner when striking the Manchester City goalkeeper’s upright late in the game.
Senegal’s equaliser came from the spot just before half-time and, unsurprisingly, it was Mane who was the source of it: the premium FPL midfielder being bundled to the floor after an excellent mazy run into the Brazil box.
Jesus reprised his now customary right-wing role for Brazil and hugged the touchline for much of the game, although cut inside to provide Firmino’s goal and had an excellent chance to restore Brazil’s lead from inside the Senegal box in the second half.
Ismaila Sarr (£6.3m) lasted the full game bar the final seconds of stoppage time, while Cheikhou Kouyate (£4.9m) was substituted after 66 minutes.
Fabinho (£5.5m) failed to make it onto the field, however.
View player and team stats from Brazil v Senegal in our Members’ Area.
South Korea 8-0 Sri Lanka
- Son Heung-min (£9.8m) – 62 minutes
Son Heung-min (£9.8m) didn’t have a particularly wearying evening as South Korea registered the most comfortable of World Cup 2022 qualifying victories over Sri Lanka.
South Korea could even afford to take their talisman off just after the hour-mark, with the hosts 6-0 up in Hwaseong.
The Spurs midfielder found the back of the net on two occasions, first firing in from the edge of the box and then converting a penalty on the stroke of half-time.
Son also provided a superb assist for his nation’s second goal.
South Korea are in action again on Tuesday morning (UK time), taking on North Korea in another World Cup qualifier.
Given the flight time, Son will likely be one of the last Premier League players to return to their clubs, although he played 90 minutes in Gameweek 5 after a similar schedule in the September international break.
Gabon 1-0 Burkina Faso
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.1m) – 90 minutes
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang‘s (£11.1m) blank-less streak may have come to an end in Gameweek 8 but the Arsenal striker was back among the goals for his national team on Thursday.
The premium FPL forward despatched a late penalty to give his country a 1-0 win in France.
Aubameyang and Gabon still have to face Morocco in North Africa on Tuesday evening but any owners worried about a late return needn’t be concerned: Arsenal’s international contingent have an extra two days to recover from their travels, with the Gunners taking on Sheffield United on the Monday evening of Gameweek 9.
Algeria 1-1 DR Congo
- Riyad Mahrez (£8.7m) – 23 minutes
- Arthur Masuaku (£4.5m) – 90 minutes
The 9.6% of FPL managers who own Riyad Mahrez (£8.7m) would have been pleased to see the Manchester City winger only making a cameo substitute’s appearance as Algeria drew 1-1 with DR Congo.
Mahrez came off the bench in the 67th minute and had little involvement, firing twice into the wall from a free-kick late on.
Having started three City games in a row before the international break, Mahrez’s owners would have been relieved to see him being handed a breather in North Africa – although the Algerian winger still has to negotiate a meeting with Colombia next Tuesday.
The good news is that the meeting with the South American nation takes place in Lille, so the former Leicester man doesn’t have far to travel to return to Manchester.
West Ham’s Arthur Masuaku (£4.5m) played the full 90 minutes for DR Congo in Thursday’s friendly, meanwhile.
Germany 2-2 Argentina
- Bernd Leno (£5.0m) – 0 minutes
- Ilkay Gundogan (£5.2m) – 0 minutes
- Juan Foyth (£4.9m) – 90 minutes
- Nicolas Otamendi (£5.6m) – 90 minutes
- Roberto Pereyra (£5.7m) – 76 minutes
- Marcos Rojo (£4.8m) – 45 minutes
- Erik Lamela (£6.1m) – 0 minutes
- Emi Martinez (£4.4m) – 0 minutes
The week of international fixtures kicked off on Wednesday, with Germany and Argentina playing out a 2-2 draw in Dortmund.
With Bernd Leno (£5.0m) and Ilkay Gundogan (£5.2m) not making it off the bench (Gundogan having been a doubt with a muscular problem), Fantasy interested was limited to Argentina’s Premier League-based players.
Juan Foyth (£4.9m) and Nicolas Otamendi (£5.6m) both lasted the full game, with the Spurs defender getting another 90 minutes under his belt after his recent return from injury.
Foyth was deployed at right-back, too, a position he may well be featuring in more frequently at Spurs given the problems Mauricio Pochettino currently has in that department.
Otamendi underscored his aerial prowess with another headed attempt from a corner late in the game.
Marcos Rojo (£4.8m) joined those two defenders at the back in the first half, before being hooked at half-time.
While Roberto Pereyra (£5.7m) started on the right flank and played the first 76 minutes, Erik Lamela‘s (£6.1m) remaining FPL owners will have been pleased to see him remain an unused substitute on the visitors’ bench.
Emi Martinez (£4.4m) was also not called upon by Argentina.
Argentina next take on Ecuador in Spain on Sunday, with Germany in Euro 2020 qualification action in Estonia on the same day.
View player and team stats from Germany v Argentina in our Members’ Area.
The Netherlands 3-1 Northern Ireland
- Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) – 90 minutes
- Georginio Wijnaldum (£5.4m) – 90 minutes
- Nathan Ake (£4.9m) – 0 minutes
- Patrick van Aanholt (£5.6m) – 0 minutes
- Bailey Peacock-Farrell (£4.5m) – 90 minutes
- Craig Cathcart (£4.4m) – 90 minutes
- Jonny Evans (£5.0m) – 90 minutes
- Michael McGovern (£4.0m) – 90 minutes
Northern Ireland came very close to shocking the Netherlands in Rotterdam, having taken the lead with just 15 minutes of normal time to go in their Euro 2020 qualifying match on Thursday.
Bailey Peacock-Farrell (£4.5m), Craig Cathcart (£4.4m) and Jonny Evans (£5.0m) were part of a heroic rearguard effort for the visitors, who had only two attempts on goal all match and enjoyed just 23% of possession.
With Nathan Ake (£4.9m) and Patrick van Aanholt (£5.6m) not making it off the bench, Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) and Georginio Wijnaldum (£5.4m) were the only Premier League representatives on show for the hosts.
The Liverpool duo both lasted the full 90 minutes, with van Dijk having little defending to do and seeing his clean sheet ruined when two of his defensive colleagues – one of whom was Matthijs de Ligt – made a complete hash of a Shane Ferguson cross in the build-up to Josh Magennis’s opener.
Wijnaldum is often afforded more license to get forward with the national team than he is with Liverpool and the Dutch midfielder had five attempts on goal of his own, with one of his efforts being hooked away from near the goalline by Evans.
As is the case with all of the national teams involved in Euro 2020 qualifying on Thursday night, the Netherlands and Northern Ireland are next in action on Sunday – giving our various Fantasy assets the best part of a week to recover for Gameweek 9.
Belgium 9-0 San Marino
- Toby Alderweireld (£5.5m) – 90 minutes
- Jan Vertonghen (£5.3m) – 90 minutes
- Youri Tielemans (£6.4m) – 90 minutes
- Christian Benteke (£5.7m) – 14 minutes
- Michy Batshuayi (£6.6m) – 0 minutes
- Divock Origi (£5.3m) – 0 minutes
- Dennis Praet (£5.3m) – 0 minutes
- Leander Dendoncker (£4.4m) – 0 minutes
Leander Dendoncker (£4.4m) missed Belgium’s demolition of San Marino with a stomach illness and will reportedly not be part of the national team’s travelling squad for their second European Championship qualifier against Kazakhstan on Sunday.
Youri Tielemans (£6.4m), who lasted the full game against San Marino and scored his side’s sixth goal, will also be excused from the Red Devils’ forthcoming match this weekend as he is about to become a father.
After their struggles with Spurs against Bayern Munich and Brighton, centre-halves Toby Alderweireld (£5.5m) and Jan Vertonghen (£5.3m) enjoyed a much easier evening as Belgium coasted to victory without allowing their opponents a single shot.
Alderweireld was indeed busier at the other end of the pitch, scoring Belgium’s fifth goal when his shot from distance took a wicked deflection off a visiting defender.
Tielemans had earlier teed up Romelu Lukaku for Belgium’s first goal and met an Eden Hazard pass to put the hosts 6-0 up at half-time.
Even Christian Benteke (£5.7m) got in on the act, coming off the bench to curl in a seventh goal for Roberto Martinez’s side.
In picking up three points against the Group I minnows, Belgium became the first team to qualify for next summer’s tournament.
Divock Origi (£5.3m) and Michy Batshuayi (£6.6m) were both unused substitutes, while Dennis Praet (£5.3m) still awaits his first Belgium start and wasn’t part of the matchday squad for this fixture.
Kevin De Bruyne (£10.0m) was, of course, not called up by his country for this Euro 2020 double-header after suffering a groin injury.
View player and team stats from Belgium v San Marino in our Members’ Area.
Russia 4-0 Scotland
- Andrew Robertson (£6.9m) – 90 minutes
- John McGinn (£5.8m) – 90 minutes
- Robert Snodgrass (£5.3m) – 90 minutes
- John Fleck (£4.8m) – 82 minutes
- Ryan Fraser (£7.1m) – 68 minutes
- Stuart Armstrong (£5.3m) – 8 minutes
Scotland’s dismal Euro 2020 qualification campaign reached another low as they were demolished 4-0 by Russia.
Andrew Robertson‘s (£6.9m) performances for his country have often been below the levels of his displays for Liverpool but there has to be some mitigation for the premium FPL defender: Robertson is obviously part of a sub-standard team on the international stage and it is the understatement of the year to say that Charlie Mulgrew is no Virgil van Dijk.
Robertson lasted the full game and was part of a Scotland defence that held out for the first 56 minutes in Moscow, making an important early block from Aleksey Ionov as the visitors’ high press otherwise kept Russia at bay.
Just as their defence wilted in the second half, Scotland’s attacking assets had little joy.
Ryan Fraser (£7.1m) started the game on the right of midfield and was twice frustratingly not found by Robert Snodgrass (£5.3m) when in good positions, with the Bournemouth winger later withdrawn midway through the second half.
John McGinn (£5.8m) is an in-demand budget midfielder in FPL at present and he was given a chance to showcase his attacking attributes in Moscow, lining up as a number ten behind Oliver Burke.
The hard-working McGinn recovered from a first-half injury to last the full game but a wild attempt that sailed high and wide on 79 minutes was as close as he came to getting on the scoresheet and he failed to touch the ball once in the hosts’ box.
Sheffield United John Fleck (£4.8m) made his international debut in central midfield, being replaced in the final eight minutes by Stuart Armstrong (£5.3m).
View player and team stats from Russia v Scotland in our Members’ Area.
Slovakia 1-1 Wales
- Martin Dubravka (£5.0m) – 90 minutes
- Wayne Hennessey (£4.4m) – 90 minutes
- Ben Davies (£5.4m) – 90 minutes
- Daniel James (£6.1m) – 90 minutes
- Harry Wilson (£6.1m) – 24 minutes
- Neil Taylor (£4.5m) – 0 minutes
- Danny Ward (£4.4m) – 0 minutes
Without an FPL return in four Gameweeks, Daniel James (£6.1m) provided the assist for Wales’ only goal in their 1-1 draw with Slovakia.
Playing on the left of a front three, James crossed for Kieffer Moore to head Ryan Giggs’ side in front on 25 minutes.
The Manchester United winger could have had a further assist later on, when Joe Rodon had a header deflected over from James’ free-kick delivery.
James had four attempts on goal of his own, including a stoppage-time effort that he screwed wide after a swift counter-attack.
Ben Davies (£5.4m) played the full 90 minutes at left-back, with Wayne Hennessey (£4.4m) having little chance with the hosts’ equaliser and later going on to make a smart stop from Albert Rusnák.
Newcastle’s Martin Dubravka (£5.0m) was between the posts for Slovakia, meanwhile.
Neil Taylor (£4.5m) and Danny Ward (£4.4m) failed to make it off the bench but Harry Wilson (£6.1m) was thrown on as a 66th-minute substitute despite being a minor injury doubt for the game.
Croatia 3-0 Hungary
- Dejan Lovren (£5.3m) – 90 minutes
- Mateo Kovacic (£5.4m) – 23 minutes
- Lovre Kalinic (£4.4m) – 0 minutes
There wasn’t a great deal of Fantasy interest in Split, with three FPL assets currently owned by 1.0% of managers or fewer in action – or not, in unused substitute Lovre Kalinic‘s (£4.4m) case.
After getting his first Premier League start of the season in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Leicester City, Dejan Lovren (£5.3m) completed 90 minutes for his national team and had a fairly comfortable night as Croatia bossed possession and chances in their 3-0 win over ten-man Hungary.
Mateo Kovacic (£5.4m) emerged from the bench midway through the second half and created a big chance for Ante Rebic that the latter flashed just wide of the far post.
View player and team stats from Croatia v Hungary in our Members’ Area.
Latvia 0-3 Poland
- Jan Bednarek (£4.5m) – 90 minutes
A Poland side missing the injured Lukasz Fabianski (£5.1m), who is set to remain out until the next calendar year, breezed past Latvia to consolidate their position at the top of Euro 2020 qualification Group G.
Jan Bednarek (£4.5m) played the full 90 minutes and kept a clean sheet as the hosts failed to register a single shot on target.
View player and team stats from Latvia v Poland in our Members’ Area.
Serbia 1-0 Paraguay
- Luka Milivojevic (£6.7m) – 45 minutes
- Miguel Almiron (£5.8m) – 53 minutes
- Fabian Balbuena (£4.3m) – 0 minutes
Miguel Almiron (£5.8m) saw red for Paraguay for the second time this year, being dismissed for two bookable offences in his country’s 1-0 friendly loss to Serbia.
Almiron, cautioned for simulation in Gameweek 8, reportedly received his second booking for diving in Paraguay’s defeat on Thursday.
The South American nation are again in action in Europe on Sunday.
Luka Milivojevic (£6.7m), now free of suspension in the Premier League, played the first 45 minutes for Serbia but Fabian Balbuena (£4.3m) didn’t make it off the bench for the visitors.
Australia 5-0 Nepal
- Mathew Ryan (£4.6m) – 90 minutes
- Aaron Mooy (£4.8m) – 62 minutes
Brighton duo Mathew Ryan (£4.6m) and Aaron Mooy (£4.8m) were part of an Australia side that comfortably saw off Nepal on Thursday.
Ryan had a comfortable evening between the posts against the Asian minnows, who failed to register a shot on target.
Mooy was withdrawn just after the hour-mark, having been involved in the build-up to his side’s first goal.
Graham Potter will get his two Australian players back relatively late as the Socceroos take on Chinese Taipei on Tuesday.
Republic of Ireland under-21s 0-0 Italy under-21s
- Caoimhin Kelleher (£4.5m) – 90 minutes
- Adam Idah (£4.5m) – 90 minutes
- Troy Parrott (£4.5m) – 64 minutes
- Patrick Cutrone (£5.7m) – 45 minutes
- Michael Obafemi (£4.9m) – 22 minutes
- Moise Kean (£6.6m) – 19 minutes
Moise Kean (£6.6m) was handed a straight red card after clashing with Spurs’ Troy Parrott (£4.5m) in a Euro 2021 qualifier between Ireland and Italy’s under-21 sides.
The Everton striker had been thrown on at half-time alongside Wolves’ Patrick Cutrone (£5.7m) but was dismissed after 64 minutes after a fairly innocuous shove on Parrott, with the Spurs striker also receiving a second yellow card for his part in that incident and given his marching orders.
Caoimhin Kelleher (£4.5m) and Adam Idah (£4.5m) lasted the full game as Michael Obafemi (£4.9m) came off the bench for the hosts.
Round-up
Maya Yoshida (£4.4m) scored for Japan and played the full 90 minutes as his country defeated Mongolia 6-0 in a World Cup qualifier.
Matteo Guendouzi (£4.7m), who has started all eight Premier League matches for Arsenal this season, played the first 77 minutes of France under-21s’ Euro 2021 qualifier against Azerbaijan.
The budget FPL midfielder provided the assist for Odsonne Édouard’s second goal.
Douglas Luiz (£4.5m) played around 65 minutes and scored for Brazil under-23s in a 4-1 win over their Venezuelan counterparts.
Angel Gomes (£4.8m) scored a brace as England under-20s drew 2-2 Italy. Lewis Gibson (£4.4m) missed out due to illness.
4 years, 6 months agoMaybe Southgate should have looked at the form table before playing a GK and a defender from Everton