Arsenal will be well-represented during the November international break, with ten players set to represent their national teams over the next few days.
Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka will not be among them after withdrawing from the England squad due to their respective injury problems.
Martin Odegaard has also been sent home by Norway’s medical staff, who decided he is still not fully match-fit following a lengthy absence.
Read on as we preview the upcoming games featuring Arsenal players, starting with a pair of crucial World Cup qualifiers in South America.
Brazil aiming for World Cup boost
Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli have been called up to the Brazil squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay.
However, Al-Hilal forward Neymar and Real Madrid’s Endrick have been left out. Neymar has just returned from injury, while Endrick has not featured in his team’s last four games.
Brazil are eager to book their World Cup 2026 tickets as soon as possible after producing some indifferent performances during their qualifying campaign.
They were held to a 1-1 draw by Venezuela on home soil on Matchday 3 and are likely to find things easy in the return fixture.
The Samba Kings were defeated 2-0 in Uruguay in their fourth outing and will be gunning for revenge against a team who look nailed on to qualify.
Spain fancied to hammer home their dominance
David Raya and Mikel Merino have been called up Spain for their Nations League games against Denmark and Switzerland.
A victory over Denmark on Friday would secure top spot in the group and the reigning European champions are strongly fancied to get the job done.
Spain triumphed 1-0 in the return fixture – their eighth victory in their last nine meetings with the Danes. Their last defeat was in a World Cup qualifier in 1993.
They will also expect to defeat Switzerland, having claimed an emphatic 4-1 victory in the reverse fixture in September.
Defender Robin Le Normand was dismissed in the 20th minute, but Spain ruthlessly took their chances to sweep past the home side.
Germany gunning for top spot in their group
Kai Havertz is back in the Germany squad after missing out last month and will be eager to help the team hold onto top spot in Group A3.
They head into their fixtures against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Hungary with a five-point lead over the Netherlands and should get the job done.
They triumphed in both of the reverse fixtures, and another pair of victories would cement the progress they have made under manager Julian Nagelsmann.
Havertz will probably regain his place in the starting XI, as he has been a key player for Nagelsmann during his time in charge of the national team.
He has played various roles under the former Bayern Munich manager and will be keen to add to his tally of 19 goals in 53 appearances.
Netherlands battling for second spot
With Germany looking banker bets to win Group A3, Jurrien Timber and the Netherlands are battling with Hungary to secure the runners-up spot.
The two teams are tied on five points apiece from their four matches in the Nations League, and a victory for either side would secure a quarter-final place.
However, a draw will leave them level on points heading into the final group games. The Netherlands visit Bosnia & Herzegovina, while Hungary host Germany.
The Dutch have not been defeated by Hungary since 1984, winning their previous nine games prior to their draw in Budapest last month.
They have scored 26 goals in their last four home games against Hungary, and it would be a major surprise if they slipped up in Amsterdam.
France coach axes Real Madrid forward
Kylian Mbappe has been left out of France’s squad for their Nations League games despite telling head coach Didier Deschamps he wanted to play.
Mbappe missed two France games last month as a precaution after injury and Deschamps appears to have decided the squad is better off without him.
Arsenal star William Saliba has been selected and will hope to be included in the starting Xi for the games against Israel and Italy.
France were defeated 3-1 by Italy in their opening game in the Nations League, but have since taken nine points from their next three games.
They could still claim top spot in Group 1B, but Mbappe’s absence from the squad has undoubtedly cast a shadow over their preparations.
Belgium desperate to halt their recent slide
Belgium have been hit by several injuries ahead of their upcoming Nations League fixtures against Italy and Israel.
Charles De Ketelaere, Jeremy Doku, Malick Fofana and Joaquin Seys are all out of the squad, which is a major blow to their hopes of progressing.
Belgium are third in Group A2, six points behind Italy and five adrift of France. They must pick up six points from their final two games and hope other results go their way.
They defeated Israel 3-1 in their opening fixture before sandwiching a 2-2 draw with Italy in between two defeats against France.
Belgium’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals are remote and a spot in the relegation play-offs looks to be a more likely outcome for Leandro Trossard and the rest of the squad.
Ukraine set for a frantic finish
Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko will hope to play a key role as Ukraine bid to make a strong finish to their Nations League Group B1 campaign.
Just three points separates the four teams in this section, which leaves the quartet with everything to play for over the final two Matchdays.
Ukraine face Georgia on Saturday before meeting Albania three days later and could top the group if they collect six points.
However, they are more likely to land in the promotion play-off spot, which would secure a tie against one of the third-placed teams from League A.
Possible opponents include Serbia, Hungary, Poland or Belgium, who they would face in a home-and-away tie next March.
Poland face a tough task against Portugal
Jakub Kiwior will hope to get the nod in defence when Poland face Portugal and Scotland in their final two Nations League group games.
The Poles can still progress to the quarter-finals, although a place in the relegation play-offs is the most likely outcome.
They were defeated 3-1 by Portugal in the reverse fixture and will have their work cut out to take anything from the reverse fixture.
Poland have suffered a huge blow with Robert Lewandowski ruled out of the games, but they should still have enough about them to claim third spot in the group.
They triumphed 3-2 in Scotland in September, which gives them the edge for their second meeting in Warsaw.
