FC Bayern Munich: What to watch for during the October international fixtures

FC Bayern Munich had a dozen players called up for international duty for October’s slate of fixtures.

The October international break has arrived and there will be plenty of FC Bayern Munich players involved in the fixtures to come. There were a total of 12 players selected to play for their respective countries from Bayern Munich. Of course, the majority will be playing for their native Germany but there is a strong contingent heading to play for reigning world champions France.

Here are three things to watch for from Bayern Munich players during the October international schedule.

The return to Germany’s squad

After their UEFA Champions League league triumph, the majority of Bayern’s German players did not feature in the September international fixtures in the UEFA Nations League. They were given time to recover by Joachim Low but have now returned to the team for October.

Manuel Neuer headlines the players back in the lineup for Germany. After his strong display in the Champions League, it would appear he is Germany’s top goalkeeper at the moment. Expect to see him in net for Germany for the Nations League fixtures against Ukraine and Switzerland.

The remaining four players named to the Germany squad from Bayern were Leon Goretzka, Niklas Süle, Serge Gnabry, and Joshua Kimmich. Süle was apart of the squad in September along with Leroy Sane so this will not be his first time this season featuring for the national team. Expect these players to get plenty of playing time in the coming Nations League matches.

Lewandowski in search of more victories with Poland

Robert Lewandowski did not play for Poland during their September fixtures. Despite the absence of their star striker, Poland was able to win at least one of their two matches. As a result, they are still very much alive in their group. They will be glad to have Lewandowski back as they face their toughest test yet when they play Italy on Saturday. If Lewandowski can lead Poland to an upset it could make things very interesting in League A Group 1.

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France looks to continue their winning ways

The French players will be returning to a squad who has yet to lose in the Nations League. France defeated Sweden and Croatia to join Portugal at the table of the top in their group. Their massive fixture against Portugal on Sunday will be a must-watch as it could very well decide who advances out of the group.

Lucas Hernandez is the only Bayern player who featured for France in September. It will be a return to the squad for the first time in the Nations League campaign for Kingsley Coman, Benjamin Pavard, and Corentin Tolisso.

Alaba and Zirkzee in action

David Alaba will resume his usual role of being one of the leaders of Austria’s national team. He returns to a team that split their first two Nations League fixtures. They defeated Norway but then fell to Romania. Alaba could prove to be a difference-maker for the Austrians when they face Northern Ireland and Romania in the coming week.

Elsewhere, Joshua Zirkzee will look to impress during his time with the Netherlands U-21 team. The Dutch are currently top of their group in the U-21 Championship qualification round. They will play Gibraltar and Crypus which could provide Zirkzee with the opportunity to score a few goals for his country.