The last international break of the season will have Liverpool fans watching through their fingers as they hope to see their stars return unscathed. Despite the 4-3 FA Cup Quarter-final loss to Manchester United, The Reds could still finish Jurgen Klopp’s ninth season at Anfield with a treble.
Liverpool players will be jetting off to all corners of the globe over the next week and Last Word on Football looks at who they’ll be playing and how far they’ll be traveling, including a surprisingly local trip for one Anfield star.
Liverpool International Round-Up: Welcome Travel Break for Anfield Star
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Colombia: Luis Diaz
Luis Diaz has been a busy man for Liverpool over the past few weeks, so Jurgen Klopp will be delighted that the Colombian’s travels will be shorter than expected during the March international break. The 27-year-old’s side are playing both of their games in Europe as they prepare for this summer’s Copa America.
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First, they play Spain at West Ham’s London Stadium on March 22. Next, Colombia goes up against Romania at Athletico Madrid’s Civitas Metropolitano. Diaz will be looking to keep up his good form on the international stage, he scored two goals against Brazil in November.
Netherlands: Virgil Van Dijk and Cody Gakpo
Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo will hope to continue The Netherlands’ three-game win streak as they test themselves against Euro 2024 competition during March’s international break. Gakpo will hope he can regain his confidence after a tough few weeks for Liverpool.
On March 22, Holland will play Scotland in their last game at the Johan Cruyff arena before this summer’s tournament. They’ll then get a taste of their Euro 2024 surroundings when they travel to Germany on March 26 to face the hosts.
Republic of Ireland: Caoimhin Kelleher
Caoimhin Kelleher will be looking to finally become his country’s number 1 goalkeeper during the March international break. The 25-year-old is behind Southampton’s Gavin Bazunu in the pecking order but has never gone into a Republic of Ireland camp with this much game time under his belt.
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Ireland have not qualified for Euro 2024 but will be helping other nations prepare for the tournament. On March 23, they will play Belgium before going up against Switzerland three days later. Good performances in these friendlies will put Kelleher in a position to start for Ireland when their Nations League campaign begins in September.
Northern Ireland: Conor Bradley
Conor Bradley was already a Northern Ireland international before breaking into Liverpool’s squad this season. The 20-year-old made three starts during his nation’s unsuccessful Euro 2024 qualification bid.
Northern Ireland will play similar teams to Bradley’s Liverpool teammates, travelling to Romania on March 22 and then Hampden Park on March 26 to take on Scotland. The 20-year-old will hope to help his country improve their form, they have lost seven of their last ten matches.
England: Joe Gomez
Joe Gomez’s first international call-up in four years allows him to prove himself ahead of Euro 2024. The 26-year-old has taken advantage of injuries to other Liverpool defenders and shown his versatility and quality.
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England plays two countries looking to win their respective tournaments this summer during March’s international break. In a Wembley doubleheader, the Three Lions play Brazil on March 23 and Belgium three days later
Depending on the system Gareth Southgate chooses, Gomez could play any position across England’s defence. His versatility means he’ll be ready for anything.
France: Ibrahima Konate
Despite missing Liverpool’s last three matches, Ibrahima Konate will join Les Bleus during the March international break. The Reds’ defender is competing with Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano and Arsenal’s William Saliba for a place in the starting line-up at Euro 2024.
France have a mouth-watering home match against Germany on March 23 before playing Chile in Marseille on March 26. Konate needs to build up his match fitness during these games so that he’s in perfect condition for the title run-in.
Scotland: Andy Robertson
Andy Robertson will lead Scotland into Euro 2024 this summer as their captain. The Tartan Army beat Erling Haaland’s Norway to qualify for the tournament and are confident they can do well in Germany. However, before that, the 30-year-old will try to conquer three of his club teammates during March’s international break.
First, Scotland will travel to the Netherlands to face Gakpo and Van Dijk on March 22. Then, he will welcome Bradley and Northern Ireland to Hampden Park on March 26.
Japan: Wataru Endo
Unlike his Liverpool teammates, Wataru Endo is playing competitive games during March’s international break. Japan will continue their qualification campaign for the 2024 World Cup. They top Group B, having won both of their games with a goal difference of ten.
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The Samurai Blue continue their rivalry with North Korea by playing the nation twice. Japan hosted and won the first encounter with an early strike. The away fixture takes place after a five-day gap. Japan’s captain is aiming to lead them back to a competition where they beat both Germany and Spain in 2022.
Greece: Kostas Tsimkas
Kostas Tsimkas will hope to lead Greece through the Euro 2024 playoffs during March’s international break. The 27-year-old hasn’t started a game in almost a month so will also be hoping to gain his match sharpness.
Greece beat Kazakhstan in the semi-finals on March 21. They will now play Georgia in the final with a tournament spot on the line. The winner of the playoffs will join Portugal, the Czech Republic, and Turkey in Group F.
Argentina: Alexis Mac Allister
Alexis Mac Allister became a key player for Argentina during the 2022 World Cup, helping Lionel Messi add the missing piece to his trophy collection. His good performances during the tournament were part of the reason Liverpool brought him last summer.
Argentina are looking to continue their world-class form. Since the World Cup, La Albiceleste have only lost one game, to Darwin Nunez’s Uruguay. They play El Salvador on March 22 and Costa Rica on March 26.
Hungary: Dominik Szoboszlai
Dominik Szoboszlai will be looking to further improve his form and fitness in two friendlies during March’s international break. The 23-year-old has played five games since returning from an injury that caused him to miss the whole month of February.
Hungary have qualified for their third successive Euros and will be hoping to continue their good form before the tournament. The Magyarok haven’t lost since a Nations League defeat to Italy in 2022. They will play Turkey first before welcoming Kosovo to the Puskas Arena.
Liverpool International Round-Up: Youngsters Looking To Impress
The rise of some of Liverpool’s academy stars has seen many of them called up to their country’s youth teams during the March international break. Harvey Elliott and Jarell Quansah have been called up to England’s U21 side for games against Azerbaijan and Luxembourg.
Bobby Clark and Kaide Gordon will join England’s U20’s, Trey Nyoni, Amara Nallo, and Jayden Danns will represent the Three Lions’ U18’s, and Lewis Koumas will hope to impress for Wales’ U21 side.
