Internationals | Wolves squad prepares for international duty

22nd March 2021

Wolves will be without several of their first-team squad in the next ten days as nine players are set to represent their national teams during the upcoming international period.

England, Portugal and Belgium will begin their 2022 World Cup qualification campaign with three fixtures each, while members of the Wolves squad will also be taking part in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Euro U21 group stages and friendly fixtures.

Conor Coady will be aiming to once again be involved in the England team having had to pull out of the last international squad in November having come into contact with someone who contracted Covid.

The Three Lions begin their World Cup qualifiers on Thursday night as they invite San Marino to Wembley Stadium for a 7.45pm kick-off, before a trip to Albania in Sunday evening.

The Wolves captain could get the fourth of his England caps in those games, or he might have to wait until next Wednesday, 31^st March, when his team host Poland.

Pedro Neto will be looking at building on his debut performance for Portugal and earn his second cap as he joins Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves in being named in their national team squad.

Rui Patricio was also initially named in Portugal's squad, but has withdrawn from international duty and will remain in Wolverhampton following the head injury he sustained in Wolves' match against Liverpool last week.

The trio of Neto, Moutinho and Neves get their qualification campaign underway on Wednesday against Azerbaijan at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, due to Portugal’s inability to host international matches due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. Following that fixture, Portugal play back-to-back away games in Serbia on Saturday and Luxembourg on Tuesday 30^th March.

Leander Dendoncker’s Belgium also have a trio of qualifiers in the next fortnight, beginning with a home tie against Wales on Wednesday at Den Dreef Stadion.

Their Group E matches continue on Saturday evening away at the Czech Republic, before returning to Den Dreef for their fixture with Belarus the following Tuesday.

Outside of Europe, Morocco captain Romain Saiss and his side travel to Mauritania on Friday for the fifth of their six group matches, before ending their Africa Cup of Nations qualification by hosting Burundi the following Tuesday. Morocco are currently unbeaten in their group, sitting five points ahead of Mauritania and six ahead of Burundi.

Willy Boly is back with the Ivory Coast, as they travel to Niger on Friday and then host Ethiopia next Tuesday. Currently tied on points with Madagascar at the top of Group K, Ivory Coast will need to win both of their fixtures to guarantee their place at the top of the group.

Having earning his first US national team cap in November, Owen Otasowie is back on international duty this week, and will be looking at making his full debut in their friendlies with Jamaica on Thursday or against Northern Ireland on Sunday.

Wolves also have one first-team player away with their junior international side after Vitinha was selected for Portugal under-21’s UEFA Euro U21 group stage matches in Slovenia. The young Portugal team face Croatia on Thursday, England on Sunday and Switzerland the following Wednesday.

There are also two under-23 players who train regularly with Nuno's senior squad who are away on international duty in the coming weeks, as Theo Corbeanu has received his first competitive call-up to the Canada national team and Lewis Richards is with the Republic of Ireland under-21s.

Corbeanu, who represented Romania at junior level before switching his allegiances from his parents' homeland to the country of his birth, will be in Canada's squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Bermuda in the early hours of Friday morning and the Cayman Islands early Sunday morning, while Richards is hoping to be part of Ireland's friendly against Wales on Friday.

Wolves internationals March fixtures & results

Moutinho, Neves, Neto (Portugal): FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers