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Bobby Vincent

What Joao Felix did to stay on right Chelsea path as Graham Potter has Enzo Fernandez prayer

We are now into the second and final week of the last international break of the 2022/23 season.

It's been a campaign filled with these breaks in what has been a one-off season due to the FIFA World Cup taking place in the winter of last year. Once this weekend comes around, though, the players will be Chelsea-focused between now and the end of the season.

The Blues' hopes of reaching the top-four in the Premier League are very slim. However, Graham Potter's side are into the last eight of the Champions League where they will take on Real Madrid home and away for a place in the semi-finals.

READ MORE: Graham Potter needs Reece James plan to ensure injury does not impact Real Madrid vs Chelsea

So Potter will be praying all of his players come back fit and ready for the final part of the season. But Reece James was forced to pull out of the England squad at the weekend due to an ongoing issue with his hamstring, which will be a concern for the Chelsea head coach.

So with all of this being said, football.london takes a look at how Chelsea's squad have done on international duty for their respective countries...

Kepa Arrizabalaga

The goalkeeper played 90 minutes on Saturday as Spain beat Norway 3-0 in a comfortable match for the Spaniards. Kepa returned to the squad under new manager Luis de la Fuente, with Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea missing out on selection yet again. Kepa is in line for another appearance against Scotland on Tuesday.

Benoit Badiashile

Badiashile captained France Under-21s as they were thrashed 4-0 at the hands of England. The young Chelsea defender didn't play the full game and was substituted in the second-half of the match. The young French side will have the chance to bounce back against Spain Under-21s on Tuesday.

Kalidou Koulibaly

Koulibaly wore the captain's armband as Senegal beat Mozambique 5-1 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. The Chelsea defender played the full 90 minutes and is expected to do so again on Tuesday in the reverse fixture in Mozambique.

Denis Zakaria

The Chelsea loanee played the full game as his Switzerland team thrashed Belarus 5-0. Zakaria hasn't played too many minutes for the Blues recently but is clearly still part of the Swiss national team's plans and is expected for another outing against Israel on Tuesday.

Enzo Fernandez

The magnificent Enzo was one of the best players on the pitch as world champions Argentina beat Panama 2-0 last week. Fernandez came off in the second-half of the game, something that will have pleased Potter, and he will be hoping for a repeat as the Argentines go head-to-head with Curacao in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Enzo Fernandez in action for Argentina in their win over Panama (Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)

Mateo Kovacic

Kovacic played in Croatia's 1-1 draw with Wales last week, being taken off in the second-half. The Chelsea midfielder has struggled with fitness problems this season so Potter will be hoping if he does play against Turkey on Tuesday, then it won't be for the full 90 minutes.

Conor Gallagher

Just like he's been doing for Chelsea recently, Gallagher was brought on twice for England as the Three Lions beat Italy and Ukraine in the space of a few days. It kind of sums up where Gallagher is at right now but the Blues midfielder is still managing to make a big impact when coming off the bench for both club and country.

Kai Havertz

Havertz played for Germany in their 2-0 win against Peru, coming off in the second-half. Just like he's been doing in recent weeks for Chelsea, the German played just behind the striker – or in Germany's case, two strikers. The 23-year-old is expected to be involved in some capacity against Belgium on Tuesday.

Mykhailo Mudryk

Mudryk failed to have too much of an impact as Ukraine were beaten 2-0 by England at Wembley on Sunday evening. The Chelsea winger started for the Ukrainians but the Three Lions were largely dominant throughout the 90 minutes that didn't allow the talented attacker with too many opportunities to shine on the night.

Christian Pulisic

The American poster boy scored USA's fourth goal in their 7-1 demolition of Granada last week. Pulisic very much enjoys playing for his country and will be looking to increase his tally as USA take on El Salvador in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Noni Madueke

Madueke has barely been given an opportunity at Chelsea since signing for £35million in January, so it was good to see him handed one for England Under-21s recently. Although, that was still from the bench.

The 21-year-old came on in the second-half and scored the young Lions' second goal of the game and then assisted the last two goals for Curtis Jones and Jacob Ramsey. Madueke's performance caught the eye so much that he won Man of the Match despite being on the pitch for just over 25 minutes. If Potter needed a reminder of his talent, well there you go...

Hakim Ziyech

Ziyech got some rare minutes this season as Morocco beat Brazil 2-1 in a friendly. The Chelsea winger played the full 90 minutes and may do so again as the Africans meet Peru on Tuesday evening.

Joao Felix

Felix scored in Portugal's easy victory over Luxembourg. The 23-year-old attacker shone for A Selecao in what was a routine victory.

The Chelsea loanee scored for the Blues in their last outing against Everton before the two-week break and now looks like he could be hitting some kind of form which spells good news between now and the end of the season. Felix also played against Liechtenstein last week, coming off in the second-half as Portugal won 4-0.

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