Five exciting games to watch during the international break

Club football will take a hiatus as it is now time for the second international break of the calendar .

There may not be any Premier League or La Liga football next weekend, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t plenty of excitement to come. Below we have listed five matches worth keeping an eye on in this international break.

Scotland will look to build on their strong start to their World Cup qualification campaign with a victory against Greece. But that will be easier said than done as Ivan Jovanovic’s side have won four of their previous five matches.

The previous meeting between these teams saw Greece thrashing Scotland 3-0 in the Nations League play-off game at Hampden in March. But Steve Clarke’s men can take some encouragement from the reverse fixture where they triumphed 1-0 in Athens following Scott McTominay’s penalty goal.

Spain have not dropped their levels since beating England in the European Championship final in July last year. La Roja were at their destructive best last time out when they hammered Bulgaria and Turkey in September, scoring nine goals and conceding none in the two away matches.

Head coach Luis de la Fuente has plenty of injuries to contend with, with stars Lamine Yamal and Rodri both out of contention for the two qualifiers. The injuries should give Georgia some hope, who are second in Group E after registering three points from their two matches.

England face Wales in a friendly on Thursday, but manager Thomas Tuchel will be more concentrated on their next match against Latvia. This is because the Three Lions can guarantee their place at the World Cup finals with a victory against Paolo Nicolato’s side.

England currently top Group K with 15 points, with Albania and Serbia the closest chasers on eight and seven points respectively. Tuchel’s men need just two more wins to secure their World Cup ticket, but if Serbia drop points in either of their two qualifiers, victory against Latvia will be sufficient for them.

Portugal are in a strong position to qualify for the World Cup next summer, with the Selecao top of Group F having won their opening two fixtures. Victories against the Republic of Ireland and Hungary in October, combined with Armenia dropping points in their fixtures, will be enough to seal their place in the prestigious tournament.

Hungary will be looking for revenge against Portugal following their disappointing loss at the Puskas Arena in September. The hosts looked to have done enough to salvage a draw after Barnabas Varga’s 84th-minute equaliser, but Joao Cancelo’s cracking late goal secured a 3-2 victory for Roberto Martinez’s side.

Football fans in Tokyo will have a treat on their hands as Japan take on South American giants Brazil at the Ajinomoto Stadium. Carlo Ancelotti’s side have already sealed a place in the World Cup finals, but their performances were far from convincing during the qualification campaign, losing six and drawing four of their 18 matches.

Brazil will be missing goalkeeper Alisson Becker after picking up a knock in Liverpool’s Champions League clash against Galatasaray. Neymar is also nursing a thigh injury, but Vinicius Junior has returned to the squad after serving a suspension during the September break.