Burkina Faso
Chinese Taipei
Indonesia
Nigeria

Manchester City

sportsmole.co.uk, 9 September 2021, 12:18
Pep Guardiola will welcome back the 16 first-team players to his Manchester City side who have been representing their country during September's international break, as well as keeping an eye on three young players currently out on loan.

Seventeen of those players were spread out across Europe, while Riyad Mahrez and Zack Steffen travelled to Africa and Central America respectively.

Here, Sports Mole round up which City players were in action for their respective nations and how they fared on international duty.

England: Kyle Walker, John Stones, Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish

Results:

September 2: Hungary 0-4 England - World Cup qualifier (Ferenc Puskas Stadium, Budapest)

September 5: England 4-0 Andorra - World Cup qualifier (Wembley Stadium, London)

September 8: Poland 1-1 England - World Cup qualifier (Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw)

All four players started away in Hungary, with Grealish - who provided an assist for Declan Rice's goal - the only City representative who was brought off in the final few minutes.

Sterling managed to break the deadlock in Budapest, tapping in his 18th international goal, while Stones and Walker helped the Three Lions keep a clean sheet.

Against Andorra, Stones, Walker and Sterling were all unused substitutes, while Grealish was brought on in the 62nd minute.

All four players then played the full 90 minutes against Poland, though England were unable to maintain their 100% record in qualifying, conceding a stoppage-time equaliser in Warsaw.

Portugal: Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva

Results:

September 1: Portugal 2-1 Republic of Ireland - World Cup qualifier (Estadio Algarve, Almancil)

September 4: Qatar 1-3 Portugal - Friendly (Nagyerdei Stadion, Debrecen)

September 7: Azerbaijan 0-3 Portugal - World Cup qualifier (Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku)

Dias was the only City representative who featured in all three international matches, starting against the Republic of Ireland and Azerbaijan as well as coming off the bench in the 68th minute against Qatar.

Cancelo and Silva, meanwhile, were rested against Qatar but started both World Cup qualifiers, with the latter scoring an exquisite volley from a tight angle to open the scoring against Azerbaijan.

Spain: Aymeric Laporte, Rodri, Ferran Torres

Results:

September 1: Sweden 2-1 Spain - World Cup qualifier (Friends Arena, Stockholm)

September 5: Spain 4-0 Georgia - World Cup qualifier (Estadio Nuevo Vivero, Badajoz)

September 8: Kosovo 0-2 Spain - World Cup qualifier (Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina City)

City pair Laporte and Torres started in all three internationals this month, while Rodri only featured for five minutes as a substitute in the defeat to Sweden.

Laporte helped the Spanish backline keep two clean sheets in their final two matches, while Torres carried his goalscoring form at club level onto the international scene, finding the net against Georgia and Kosovo.

Germany: Ilkay Gundogan

Results:

September 2: Liechtenstein 0-2 Germany - World Cup qualifier (AFG Arena, St Gallen)

September 5: Germany 6-0 Armenia - World Cup qualifier (Mercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart)

September 8: Iceland 0-4 Germany - World Cup qualifier (Laugardalsvollur, Reykjavik)

Gundogan featured in all three international matches this month, passing the 50-cap milestone for the Germans, who enjoyed comfortable World Cup qualification victories.

The 30-year-old played in a deep-lying midfield role from the start against Liechtenstein and also when he came on for the final half an hour against Armenia, before starting in a more advanced midfield role away in Reykjavik.

Netherlands: Nathan Ake

Results:

September 1: Norway 1-1 Netherlands - World Cup qualifier (Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo)

September 4: Netherlands 4-0 Montenegro - World Cup qualifier (Philips Stadion, Eindhoven)

September 7: Netherlands 6-1 Turkey - World Cup qualifier (Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam)

Ake was an unused substitute for the first two matches, however the 26-year-old then left the national team's training camp on Monday and returned to Manchester for personal reasons. It remains to be seen whether he will be available for Man City's fixture against Leicester City on Saturday.

Ukraine: Oleksandr Zinchenko

Results:

September 1: Kazakhstan 2-2 Ukraine - World Cup qualifier (Astana Arena, Nur-Sultan)

September 4: Ukraine 1-1 France - World Cup qualifier (NSC Olimpiyskiy, Kiev)

September 8: Czech Republic 1-1 Ukraine - Friendly (Doosan Arena, Plzen)

Zinchenko once again played in a central midfield position for his national side, as opposed to his usual City role at left-back.

The 24-year-old played the full 90 minutes against Kazakhstan but was shown a yellow card midway through the second half, which forced him to miss their clash with France due to suspension.

Zinchenko returned to the starting lineup against the Czech Republic, though he was unable to help Ukraine claim a victory during this month's international break.

Algeria: Riyad Mahrez

Results:

September 2: Algeria 8-0 Djibouti - World Cup qualifier (Stade Mustapha Tchaker, Blida)

September 7: Burkina Faso 1-1 Algeria - World Cup qualifier (Stade de Marrakech, Marrakech)

Mahrez, who captained his national side and played the full 90 minutes in both qualifiers, scored the seventh goal in Algeria's 8-0 thrashing of Djibouti.

The 30-year-old and his teammates then had to settle for a point against Burkina Faso, in a game played in Marrakesh due to coronavirus safety precautions.

USA: Zack Steffen

Results:

September 3: El Salvador 0-0 USA - World Cup qualifier (Estadio Cuscatlan, San Salvador)

September 6: USA 1-1 Canada - World Cup qualifier (Nissan Stadium, Nashville)

Steffen was named in USA's 25-man squad for this month's qualifiers, however he was unable to feature after testing positive for coronavirus. As a result, the 26-year-old will miss Man City's Premier League clash against Leicester this weekend.

England Under-21s: Cole Palmer, Tommy Doyle (on loan at Hamburg), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (on loan at Anderlecht)

Results:

September 7: England Under-21s 2-0 Kosovo Under-21s - Euro 2023 qualifier (Stadium MK, Milton Keynes)

England's first fixture was due to be against Romania on September 3, however it was cancelled after two positive coronavirus tests among the squad and coaching staff.

However, the Young Lions were able to play against Kosovo with all three of City's representatives making their international debuts at this level.

Harwood-Bellis played the full 90 minutes at centre-back and Doyle came on as a late substitute in midfield, but the star of the show was Palmer, who scored a stunning solo effort to double England's lead in Milton Keynes.

Republic of Ireland: Gavin Bazunu (on loan at Shamrock Rovers)

Results:

September 1: Portugal 2-1 Republic of Ireland - World Cup qualifier (Estadio Algarve, Almancil)

September 4: Republic of Ireland 1-1 Azerbaijan - World Cup qualifier (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)

September 7: Republic of Ireland 1-1 Serbia - World Cup qualifier (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)

Nineteen-year-old Bazunu has claimed the number one jersey under Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny and he started in all three qualifiers this month.

The Dublin-born goalkeeper was unable to keep a clean sheet, though a memorable moment for him will have been his penalty save from none other than Cristiano Ronaldo against Portugal.

Top News

27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk New England vs. Inter Miami (Sunday, 12.30am) In a matchup of worst versus first in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS), the New England Revolution welcome Inter Miami to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on Saturday. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kasimpasa vs. Samsunspor (Saturday, 2.00pm) Kasimpasa will be seeking to avoid a third defeat on the bounce as they prepare for the visit of Samsunspor to the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadyumu on Saturday. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern vs. Frankfurt (Saturday, 2.30pm) Bayern Munich seek a 13th victory at the Allianz Arena on Saturday when they host Europe-chasing Eintracht Frankfurt in Bundesliga's gameweek 31 action. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lecce vs. Monza (Saturday, 2.00pm) Back-to-back wins for Lecce in Serie A have put them in an advantageous position to avoid relegation heading into Saturday's gameweek 34 encounter with Monza at Stadio Via del mare. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Las Palmas vs. Girona (Saturday, 1.00pm) Girona will head to an out-of-form Las Palmas outfit in La Liga on Saturday afternoon knowing that a victory would see them move above Barcelona and into second position in the table. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Blackburn vs. Coventry (Saturday, 3.00pm) Looking for the victory that could potentially secure their second-tier status, Blackburn Rovers will welcome Coventry City to Ewood Park for a Championship clash on Saturday afternoon. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham vs. Liverpool (Saturday, 12.30pm) Reeling from their gut-wrenching derby defeat in midweek, Liverpool will endeavour to reignite their Premier League title hopes when they travel to the London Stadium to face West Ham United on Saturday afternoon. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides who have failed to win their last three games square off in the Primeira Liga as Estoril Praia play host to Famalicao at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota on Sunday. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk On Sunday, Paris Saint-Germain Women will face domestic rivals Lyon Women in the second leg of the Women's Champions League semi-finals. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Round 31 of the 2023-24 Eredivisie season sees PEC Zwolle and Heracles face off against each other at the MAC3PARK Station on Sunday morning. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher at the end of the 2023-24 Premier League season. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Off the back of a first defeat in five matches last time out, NEC entertain the challenge of AZ Alkmaar at Stadion de Goffert on Sunday afternoon. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United Women will attempt to extend their unbeaten run to three competitive matches when they face Leicester Women at the King Power Stadium on Sunday. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Joel Matip is reportedly preparing to depart Liverpool in the summer, with Serie A teams expressing interest in securing his services ahead of the 2024-25 season. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur Ladies will look to extend their unbeaten run to six games in all competitions when they play host to Brighton & Hove Albion Women in Sunday's Women's Super League contest. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ninth-placed Sparta Rotterdam host 17th-placed FC Volendam on Sunday at the Sparta Stadion in the Eredivisie. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has suggested a number of reasons why his team may have lost 4-0 at Queens Park Rangers. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The action continues in round 31 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga as Portimonense and Moreirense go head to head at the Estadio Municipal de Portimao on Sunday. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Looking to extend their winning run in the top flight to three matches, Metz will welcome Champions League-chasing Lille to Stade Saint-Symphorien on Sunday afternoon in Ligue 1. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City Women will continue their Women's Super League title challenge when they travel to Ashton Gate for Sunday's clash with Bristol City Women. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Looking to get back to winning ways following defeat last time out, Strasbourg will welcome Champions League-chasing Nice to Stade de la Meinau in Ligue 1 on Sunday afternoon. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Leicester City have been promoted to the Premier League courtesy of Leeds United's 4-0 defeat to Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road this evening. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic will try to extend their current six-match run without a defeat on Sunday when they travel to face Dundee as the second phase of the Scottish Premiership kicks off. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Salernitana have become the first team to suffer relegation from Serie A this season owing to a 3-0 loss to demotion rivals Frosinone at Stadio Benito Stirpe. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The second phase of the Scottish Premiership will kickstart this weekend with St Mirren hosting Rangers. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly reached an agreement with Feyenoord over a compensation fee for Arne Slot, paving the way for him to become the club's next manager. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The final match of a bumper-to-bumper gameweek 31 in Ligue 1 will see Marseille taking on Lens at the Orange Velodrome on Sunday evening. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tosin Adarabioyo has reportedly informed Fulham that he will leave the club this summer, amid interest from Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Caykur Rizespor will be aiming to close the gap to the top four when they host Ankaragucu at the Caykur Didi Stadyumu on Sunday evening.