Arsenal’s international break nightmare is already starting to unfold

Every Arsenal fan will spend the March international window the same as any other international break; praying that every player returns to London Colney full fit. Well, even before any internationals have been played, Gooners are very much concerned about the availability of their players.

Already, it has been confirmed that six Arsenal players will not be featuring for their their countries.

Arsenal players who've withdrawn from international duty

• Jurriën Timber - ankle. Misses Netherlands friendlies vs Norway & Ecuador.

• Eberechi Eze - calf. Misses England friendlies vs Uruguay & Japan.

• Martin Ødegaard - knee. Misses Norway friendlies vs Netherlands & Switzerland.

• Leandro Trossard - hip. Misses Belgium friendlies vs United States & Mexico.

• Gabriel - knee. Misses Brazil friendlies vs France & Croatia.

• William Saliba - ankle. Misses France friendlies vs Brazil & Colombia.

Of these six players, Jurriën Timber, Martin Ødegaard and Eberechi Eze all sat out the Carabao Cup Final, so can hardly be accused of faking an injury, with Eze in fact forecast to be out for as many as six weeks, which is a major blow.

Meanwhile, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel and William Saliba have all dealt with issues earlier in the campaign, so they will be allowed to remain in London to recover and recuperate, rather than travelling stateside for international friendlies. Despite this, as many as 14 senior first-team players could be in action for their countries this week, so let's run through them.

England: Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Noni Madueke & Ben White

Ahead of the World Cup, England manager Thomas Tuchel has called up an enlarged 36-man squad. Of this group, 11 will be given a week off, so will not report for duty until the weekend after the Uruguay fixture. This select group includes both Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, earning some much-needed time off, while Noni Madueke will get the chance to stake a claim at St George's Park.

In a surprise move, after Eze's withdrawal, Ben White was added to the England squad, having not played any international football since March 2022 against Côte d'Ivoire. Lastly, Myles Lewis-Skelly is part of Lee Carsley's under-21 squad for qualifiers against Andorra away and Moldova in Norwich.

England's friendly fixtures:

• Friday 27 March: Uruguay - Wembley. Tuesday 31 March: Japan - Wembley.

Spain: David Raya, Cristhian Mosquera & Martín Zubimendi

As a reward for his excellent performances this season, Cristhian Mosquera has been called up to the senior Spanish national team for the very first time. There, he could lineup alongside Martín Zubimendi and potentially David Raya. Unai Simón has been Luis de la Fuente's number one for many years now, but there are calls in Spain for Raya to usurp the Athletic Club man has first-choice.

Mikel Merino would be in the squad, but was spotted at Wembley on crutches, still recovering from a foot injury sustained against Manchester United in January.

Spain's friendly fixtures:

• Friday 27 March: Serbia - Estadio de la Cerámica. Tuesday 31 March: Egypt - RCDE Stadium.

Brazil: Gabriel Martinelli

Even with Gabriel having withdrawn and Gabriel Jesus not selected by Carlo Ancelotti, there is still Arsenal interest in Brazil. The Seleção boast an array of attacking talent, but Gabriel Martinelli scored during his most-recent international outing against Japan in Tokyo last year. Thus, he is expected to feature at some stage for Brazil during their two friendlies in the U.S.

Brazil's friendly fixtures:

• Thursday 26 March: France - Foxborough, Massachusetts. Tuesday 31 March: Croatia - Orlando, Florida.

Germany: Kai Havertz

Kai Havertz has not featured for Germany since November 2024, but Julian Nagelsmann clearly views him as a key figure, so was eager to include him in his squad. With Havertz slowly easing his way back to full fitness, Arsenal will certainly hope he isn't over-played during this international break, but some minutes into his legs may be beneficial.

Germany's friendly fixtures:

• Friday 27 March: Switzerland - St. Jakob-Park. Monday 30 March: Ghana - Neckarstadion.

Ecuador: Piero Hincapié

Piero Hincapié is clearly one of World Cup-bound Ecuador's most integral players. The defender featuring in 14 of their 18 qualifiers as la Tricolor conceded only five goals, equalling the all-time CONMEBOL record. Thus, he is one of Sebastián Beccacece's first names on the team sheet.

Ecuador's friendly fixtures:

• Friday 27 March: Morocco - Metropolitano. Tuesday 31 March: Netherlands - Philips Stadion.

Italy: Riccardo Calafiori

While all the Gooners we've discussed so far are planning for the World Cup this summer, three more still have work to do. Italy have missed out on the last two World Cups following heartbreaking play-off defeats, so are desperate to avoid yet more déjà vu. Riccardo Calafiori is likely to start both matches for Gennaro Gattuso's team with, at least they hope, two huge games ahead for the Azzurri.

Italy's World Cup play-off fixtures:

• Thursday 26 March: Northern Ireland - Bergamo. Tuesday 31 March: Wales or Bosnia - Cardiff or Zenica.

Sweden: Viktor Gyökeres

Also chasing a World Cup return are Sweden, with Viktor Gyökeres spearheading their hopes. Now led by Graham Potter, the Blågult are aiming to avoid missing out on a fourth World Cup out of the last five. Given that Alexander Isak remains injured, Gyökeres will be Sweden's main man in attack, looking to add to his 15 goals in just 30 caps.

Sweden's World Cup play-off fixtures:

• Thursday 26 March: Ukraine - Valencia. Tuesday 31 March: Poland or Albania - Stockholm.

Denmark: Christian Nørgaard

Last, but by no means least, Arsenal's forgotten man Christian Nørgaard is still an integral figure for Denmark. The 32 year old has featured in 13 of the Rød-Hvide's last 16 competitive fixtures, starting two of the final three qualifiers, so it would be no surprise to see him included in Brian Riemer's XI.

Given Nørgaard's lack of club minutes, seeing only 905 in an Arsenal shirt, this would probably be a good thing. Denmark have appeared at five of the seven World Cups since France '98, but will need to win two single-elimination play-offs this week, including a final on the road, to improve that ratio.

Denmark's World Cup play-off fixtures:

• Thursday 26 March: North Macedonia - Parken. Tuesday 31 March: Czech Republic or Republic of Ireland - Prague or Dublin.