It's that time of the season again, where domestic football takes a break and Pep Guardiola holds his breath and hopes that none of his Manchester City internationals return to the Etihad with new injury problems.
Guardiola has already lost Kalvin Phillips with a shoulder injury, with the England midfielder withdrawing from Gareth Southgate's squad last week, and Aymeric Laporte also still recovering from surgery. That leaves 17 first-team players who will be representing their countries in the coming days, with many fighting for a place at the World Cup in November.
However, World Cup squads are not the only thing on the line, with some players able to use the next two international games to prove a point to either Guardiola or their national team manager.
ALSO READ: Norway boss explains why Man City have sent therapist to monitor Erling Haaland training
Starting with Jack Grealish , who has been the subject of plenty of discussion in the last couple of weeks before his goal at Wolves, England's two Nations League fixtures could be season-defining for the winger. After silencing the doubters and receiving plenty of support from his manager and teammates, Grealish can build on his momentum and run in the City squad by finding a permanent role in the England side just in time for the World Cup.
Grealish has largely been used as a substitute for England, particularly at Euro 2020, but will be hoping for a more senior role at the World Cup. With players like Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho omitted, Grealish will have less competition for minutes against Germany and Italy, although he will still have to compete with Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka, Mason Mount and Phil Foden on the wings. If he can take a step forward, he can cement a World Cup role and come back to City to continue that momentum.
There may also be a question mark over Foden's role for England, too, even if his form for City cannot be questioned. While his role for City is clear on the wings, Foden has struggled to hold down a position with England as players like Mount and Sterling have been preferred ahead of him. In fact, England is often where Foden gets his only experience of playing in the centre.
So even though Foden has no point to prove to City this week, he will have to use the time working with Southgate to find a place he can really make an impact at the World Cup, whether that is out wide or through the middle. Maybe with Phillips absent, a role has opened up alongside Declan Rice in midfield, or perhaps he can overtake Mount - who seems out of form with Chelsea - for that left-sided attacking role.
Away from England, two players will be hoping to use this international break to kick-start their seasons. Riyad Mahrez ended last season as first choice on the right-wing, but has found games harder to guarantee this season. He will hope that the familiar surroundings of his Algeria squad could be useful in restoring some confidence and rhythm to Mahrez's play.
Likewise, Ruben Dias has found himself in the unusual position of having to fight for his place as opposed to being the first-choice centre-back. With Manuel Akanji arriving and starting very well, John Stones in good form and Nathan Ake also deserving of games, Dias was dropped to the bench for the win over Borussia Dortmund.
Although that Dortmund game is the only one he's not played all season, his recent picks may have been boosted by the fact that Kyle Walker has been injured so Stones and Ake have been used out of position. Like Mahrez, Dias can use Portugal's fixtures to return to City in better shape.
And finally, Ake is a player who always seems to have a point to prove, with this international break no different. After a solid start to the season, he's probably in a better position than previous international camps to challenge for a place for the Netherlands, which would be good timing ahead of the World Cup. The better he plays for the Netherlands, the more City may get out of him too.
READ NEXT:
