Club

West Ham’s October Internationals: All you need to know

8th October 2018

West Ham United’s internationals have jetted off far and wide to represent their countries during the second break of the 2018/19 season.

The recently-introduced UEFA Nations League continues, while Arthur Masuaku is in line to make his DR Congo debut and Fabian Balbuena has returned home to meet his new Paraguay manager.

With youngsters involved in age-group fixtures, a busy fortnight awaits, and we’ve got it all covered here…

Which Hammers have been called up for senior international duty?

Six West Ham players will be involved in senior internationals – Lukasz Fabianski (Poland), Marko Arnautovic (Austria), Robert Snodgrass (Scotland), Andriy Yarmolenko (Ukraine), Arthur Masuaku (DR Congo) and Fabian Balbuena (Paraguay).

Fabianski, Arnautovic, Snodgrass and Yarmolenko are all set to feature in the UEFA Nations League, the new continental competition which sees Europe’s 55 teams placed into four Leagues – A, B, C and D – and 16 groups based on their ranking.

Promotion and relegation will be in place between the leagues, with finals to be played next summer and qualification play-off places for UEFA Euro 2020 up for grabs.

Further afield, Masuaku could make his DR Congo debut after being called-up for two African Nations Cup qualifiers, while Balbuena is back in his home country for a training camp with new head coach Juan Carlos Osorio.

Who will they be taking on?

Yarmolenko kicks-off the action on Wednesday evening, when Ukraine travel to Italy for a friendly international in Genoa. The winger will then return home with Andriy Shevchenko’s squad for a UEFA Nations League B Group 1 fixture with Czech Republic at the Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv on Tuesday 16 October.

Ukraine have made a perfect start to their 2018/19 Nations League campaign in September, winning 2-1 in the Czech Republic before Yarmolenko’s late penalty saw off Slovakia in Lviv.

Fabianski faces a Nations League A home double-header in Chorzow, with Portugal visiting the Stadion Slaski on Thursday 11 October and Italy following suit on Sunday 14 October.

Poland sit second in three-team Group 3 after drawing 1-1 in Italy in their opening fixture last month.

Arnautovic’s Austria will seek their first Nations League B Group 3 points when they welcome Northern Ireland to the forward’s home city of Vienna on Friday evening after losing 1-0 in Bosnia and Herzegovina in their opening fixture.

The Austrians will then head for the Danish city of Herning, where both Bobby Moore and Winston Reid played club football, for a friendly at the MCH Arena on Tuesday 16 October.

Marko Arnautovic holds off Bosnia and Herzegovina midfielder Miralem Pjanic

Snodgrass and Scotland beat Albania 2-0 in their opening League C Group 1 fixture in September and will hope to make it two wins out of two when they travel to Haifa to face Israel on Thursday. The Scots then return home to tackle Portugal at Hampden Park in Glasgow on Sunday 14 October.

Masuaku could make his DR Congo debut in a potentially vital 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Group G qualifier with Zimbabwe in Kinshasa on Saturday 13 October, before the two countries face one another again in the reverse fixture in Harare next Tuesday.

DR Congo and Zimbabwe each have four points from two matches played against Liberia and Congo, with the top two group finishers qualifying for the final tournament in Cameroon next March.

Last but not least, Balbuena has flown home to partake in an eight-day training camp under the eye of new Paraguay coach Osorio, who took over after ending his three-year spell in charge of Mexico after this summer’s FIFA World Cup finals.

What about the youngsters?

Nathan Trott will hope to add to his five England U20 caps when the Young Lions host Italy in a friendly before travelling to the Czech Republic.

Trott’s fellow goalkeeper Joseph Anang is with England U19s for friendly matches in Portugal and at home to Macedonia, while youth-team captain Ajibola Alese is part of the England U18 squad for friendlies with Sweden and the Czech Republic.

Conor Coventry will be in competitive action as Republic of Ireland U19s begin their UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign on home soil. The Boys in Green host Group 10 opponents Bosnia and Herzergovina, Faroe Islands and the Netherlands in Longford.

At U17 level, Sebastian Nebyla’s Slovakia kick-off their UEFA European Championship qualifying challenge with Group 10 fixtures with Northern Ireland, San Marino and Turkey in Manavgat.

And also at U17 level, midfielder Peter Stroud and the United States are in England for a four-team tournament with the host nation, Brazil and Russia.

Full fixture list

Wednesday 10 October 2018

Conor Coventry, Republic of Ireland U19s v Bosnia and Herzegovina U19s, UEFA European U19 Championship Qualifying Group 10, City Calling Stadium, Longford, 3pm
Andriy Yarmolenko, Italy v Ukraine, International Friendly, Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa, 7.45pm

Thursday 11 October 2018

Joseph Anang, Portugal U19s v England U19s, International Friendly, Municipal Stadium Jose Martins Vieira, Cova da Piedade, 4pm
Nathan Trott, England U20s v Italy U20s, International Friendly, Mill Farm, Fylde, 7pm
Ajibola Alese, England U18s v Sweden U18s, International Friendly, TBC, 7pm
Lukasz Fabianski, Poland v Portugal, UEFA Nations League A Group 3, Stadion Slaski, Chorzow, 7.45pm
Robert Snodgrass, Israel v Scotland, UEFA Nations League C Group 1, Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, 7.45pm

Friday 12 October 2018

Peter Stroud, USA U17s v England U17s, International Youth Tournament, Deva Stadium, Chester, 7pm
Marko Arnautovic, Austria v Northern Ireland, UEFA Nations League B Group 3, Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna, 7.45pm

Saturday 13 October 2018

Conor Coventry, Republic of Ireland U19s v Faroe Islands U19s, UEFA European U19 Championship Qualifying Group 10, City Calling Stadium, Longford, 3pm
Arthur Masuaku, DR Congo v Zimbabwe, Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying Group G, Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, 6.30pm

Sunday 14 October 2018

Robert Snodgrass, Scotland v Portugal, International Friendly, Hampden Park, Glasgow, 5pm
Peter Stroud, USA U17s v Brazil U17s, International Youth Tournament, The Weaver Stadium, Nantwich, 5pm
Lukasz Fabianski, Poland v Italy, UEFA Nations League A Group 3, Stadion Slaski, Chorzow, 7.45pm

Monday 15 October 2018

Nathan Trott, Czech Republic U20s v England U20s, International Friendly, Stadion Strelecky ostrov, Ceske Budejovice, 6pm
Ajibola Alese, England U18s v Czech Republic U18s, International Friendly, TBC, 7pm

Tuesday 16 October 2018

Conor Coventry, Republic of Ireland U19s v Netherlands U19s, UEFA European U19 Championship Qualifying Group 10, City Calling Stadium, Longford, 1pm
Joseph Anang, England U19s v Macedonia U19s, International Friendly, St George’s Park, 2pm
Arthur Masuaku, Zimbabwe v DR Congo, Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying Group G, National Sports Stadium, Harare, 7pm
Peter Stroud, USA U17s v Russia U17s, International Youth Tournament, Wincham Park, Witton, 7pm
Marko Arnautovic, Denmark v Austria, International Friendly, MCH Arena, Herning, 7.45pm
Andriy Yarmolenko, Ukraine v Czech Republic, UEFA Nations League B Group 1, Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv, 7.45pm