Arsenal: 4 players with 2022 World Cup dreams at risk

Arsenal have 15 first team players away on international duty while Mikel Arteta takes training at London Colney, and there have been mixed fortunes for all involved.

There have been some soaring highs in the form of senior call-ups for Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Magalhaes, who’ve been away with their countries for the first time in their careers.

Smith Rowe came off the bench against Albania to earn his first cap, while Gabriel was an unused substitute in Brazil’s 1-0 win over Colombia. He may have to wait a little while longer still for his first involvement, as while Tite’s side qualified for the World Cup with that win, their final match of this break is against none other than Argentina.

Elsewhere there have been some World Cup dreams brought to a premature halt. Sead Kolasinac’s Bosnia saw their hopes dashed with a 3-1 home defeat to Finland, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will not get the chance to taste the competition for the first time either.

4 Arsenal players whose dreams of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup are at risk ahead of the last fixtures before the Premier League returns

He broke his penalty curse in his side’s 1-0 win over Libya, but Egypt’s draw with Angola, helped by a Mohamed Elneny goal, saw them claim an insurmountable lead at the top of their Group F and move into the knockout stages. Meanwhile, Thomas Partey will play no part in Ghana’s chances of qualifying.

Kieran Tierney produce one of the finest tackles in his career in Scotland’s 2-0 win over Moldova, a result that saw them guarantee second spot in their group to book a play-off berth. His goal saving challenge after Moldova had a penalty saved was an outstanding piece of defending.

Sambi Lokonga was an unused substitute for Belgium as they cruised to a 3-1 win over Estonia, and with their spot atop the group cemented ahead of their clash with Wales there is a good chance the Arsenal midfielder could earn some playing time.

Aaron Ramsdale could possibly also earn some minutes, his first for England, against San Marino with the Three Lions effectively wrapping up top spot. However, as smooth sailing as it has been for some, other members of the Arsenal squad are at risk of missing out on the World Cup with their respective nations.

1. Nicolas Pepe – Ivory Coast

There are different formats for the various sections of qualification to the World Cup, with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) granted five slots for participation in the competition.

Split up into ten groups of four, only the side finishing top of their group will advance to the final stage of the process, where a draw will be made to set up five home and away legs to determine the five winners.

As it stands, Ivory Coast are on course to secure top spot. However, they face a gigantic clash with Cameroon to decide their fate.

Les Éléphants made light work of Mozambique in their fifth match of the group stages, running out 3-0 winners to leave them on 13 points. Just behind them are Cameroon on 12 points, and the final match of the group, of course, pits the two sides against each other.

It’s going to be a mouthwatering tie, one Nicolas Pepe will be hoping to be involved in having only been a 70th minute substitute last time out. A lack of minutes with Arsenal hasn’t helped his case.

A draw will be enough for Patrice Beaumelle’s side.

Cameroon host Ivory Coast at 19:00 (GMT) on Tuesday, November 16.

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2. Martin Odegaard – Norway

There is the very real possibility that Martin Odegaard will miss out on captaining his country at the 2022 World Cup finals. A season that hasn’t been going quite the way he would have wanted has the potential to unravel is devastating fashion as far as his international duties are concerned.

Norway suffered a huge setback on matchday nine as they failed to score past a Latvia side who won only one of their eight previous matches in qualifying.

Boasting 73% possession and having 25 shots to Latvia’s six, the scenes at full-time told the story. Norway’s players dropped to the floor in despair. Dejected faces filled Ullevaal Stadion as everyone knew this 0-0 draw could spell the end of their World Cup dreams.

Indeed, Turkey’s 6-0 win over Gibraltar saw them move above Norway into second place on goal difference with both sides sitting on 18 points, while the Netherlands hold top spot with 20 points.

It is all still to play for in Group G, but Norway face the daunting task of having to travel to the Netherlands on the final matchday of the group. A draw could see them pinch second spot, but they will be relying on Turkey losing away to Montenegro, which they’re unlikely to do.

It would be a huge shock to see Norway miss out, with one of world football’s best players, Erling Haaland, in line for another omission from a major international competition after Norway also failed to qualify for the recent Euros. His Premier League form for Arsenal might not be great, but he’ll have to pull something out of the bag against the Netherlands.

Netherlands host Norway at 19:45 (GMT) on Tuesday, November 16.

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3. Takehiro Tomiyasu – Japan

Over in the Asian section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, the format is done entirely differently.

The qualification process involves four rounds, with the first two of those rounds doubling as the qualification for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, and then the third round seeing the remaining 12 teams split into two groups of six.

From here the top two teams of each group will qualify directly for the World Cup, with the two third-placed teams advancing to the fourth round where they will take on one another home and away to book their place in the inter-confederation play-offs.

To put it simply, you really want to finish in the top two places in the third round, which Takehiro Tomiyasu’s Japan currently don’t find themselves in. They are third in their group at present, behind Saudi Arabia and Australia.

Three wins and two losses from their opening five matches has not been a great return, with their shock home defeat to Oman back in September still haunting them.

Japan laboured to a 1-0 win over Vietnam last time out, where the Arsenal defender assumed his usual left-sided centre-back slot, and need to find some more rhythm when they take on Oman for their sixth match of the group.

Despite being third, there is still a long way to go for Japan in their qualifying campaign with only half of their matches played, so it’s far from the danger zone just yet.

Fail to beat Oman next though, and the situation could take a turn for the worse.

Oman host Japan at 16:00 (GMT) on Tuesday, November 16

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4. Granit Xhaka – Switzerland

Group C took an extremely interesting turn on matchday seven when Italy hosted Switzerland in an engrossing top of the table clash at Stadio Olimpico.

The reigning European champions fell behind 11 minutes in when right-back Silvan Widmer thundered in a stunning long distance drive, only for his opposite number, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, to head in an equaliser 25 minutes later.

It looked as though Italy would all-but secure their place in top spot and with it automatic qualification to the World Cup when they were awarded a 90th minute penalty. The usually reliable Jorginho stepped up and blazed his spot-kick way over the bar.

With the result finishing 1-1 it sets up an engrossing final round of matches, one that will determine whether Granit Xhaka’s Switzerland will book their place in the World Cup without the need for a dreaded play-off.

The Italian travel to Northern Ireland for their final game, while the Swiss host Bulgaria knowing if they can better Italy’s result they’ll finish top.

Xhaka, of course, can play no part. Not due back from injury until 2022, the captain will have to helplessly watch on from afar. His country still have a top two finished assured, so there is no concerns over being out of World Cup running entirely, but the risks that come with play-off rounds would be gladly avoided.

Switzerland host Bulgaria at 19:45 (GMT) on Monday, November 15

Northern Ireland host Italy at 19:45 (GMT) on Monday, November 15