5 Chelsea Players to Watch on International Duty During Week of October 6
Chelsea fans will have to wait two weeks to see their side in action again as the Premier League gives way to another international break.
The European players will be competing to qualify for the Euro 2016 tournament, while the Brazilian contingent will head halfway around the world to play two friendly matches in Japan and Singapore. Youngsters who have not yet been called up to their senior squads will be in action too as the Euro Under-21 qualifiers also take place over the coming weeks.
While you might be tempted to keep a close eye on Spain to check up on Diego Costa’s hamstring or watch how Oscar reacts to the insanely impractical amount of air travel, there are plenty of other Blues who will be worth watching for their international sides.
Click through to see which five players you should catch a glimpse of and when they will be in action.
Data from UEFA.com unless otherwise noted.
Patrick Bamford
1 of 5
England under-21s vs. Croatia under-21s
Friday, October 10 5:45 p.m. GMT
According to Goal.com, Patrick Bamford was close to being Chelsea’s third-choice striker this season, before Didier Drogba’s return put paid to that plan. Instead, the 21-year-old is spending the season on loan at Middlesbrough in the Championship, where he has scored once in the league as well as scoring two penalties against Liverpool in the Capital One Cup, per WhoScored.
Bamford made his under-21 debut in November last year and is yet to score for the Three Lions, but he certainly has a promising future ahead of him and will be worth watching on Friday.
Lewis Baker
2 of 5
England under-21s vs. Croatia under-21s
Friday, October 10 5:45 p.m. GMT
Lewis Baker was a surprise inclusion in Chelsea’s squad for the 2014-15 season and is yet to kick a competitive ball for the Blues. However, the 19-year-old has been included in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the upcoming under-21 qualifier between England and Croatia.
If he plays, this will be Baker’s first appearance at the under-21 level, having previously captained the under-20s. Jose Mourinho has high expectations for his international future, having said that he would blame himself if the midfielder does not represent his country at the senior level in the near future, per Martin Lipton at the Daily Mirror.
Kurt Zouma
3 of 5
France under-21s vs. Sweden under-21s
Friday, October 10 5:45 p.m. GMT
Kurt Zouma made his competitive debut for Chelsea in the Capital One Cup win over Bolton, scoring the opening goal of the game. An imposing centre-half, Zouma has played a big role in the French under-21 side’s progress to the qualifying stage for the European Championships next summer with one goal in five appearances.
The 19-year-old will likely have to wait a little longer to lock down a regular spot in the Chelsea back line, but you can get an idea of his talents when Les Bleus take on the Swedish under-21s on Friday.
Andreas Christensen
4 of 5
Denmark under-21s vs. Iceland under-21s
Friday, October 10 5:00 p.m. GMT
Andreas Christensen has been called up to the Chelsea senior squad having already spent three years in the development setup. He made his debut for the Denmark under-21s aged just 17 and has played in all of their Euro 2015 qualifiers so far.
With opportunities at Stamford Bridge so difficult to come by, this could be your best chance to see the 18-year-old in action in the near future.
Marco van Ginkel
5 of 5
Netherlands under-21s vs. Portugal under-21s
Thursday, October 9 5:30 p.m. GMT
Marco van Ginkel’s Chelsea career was curtailed last season when he suffered a nasty knee injury. Having taken some time to recover, the 21-year-old is spending the 2014-15 season on loan at AC Milan.
Van Ginkel has made the most appearances of any of the Dutch under-21s in this qualifying campaign, scoring one goal and assisting on two more. He should start the first leg of their tie against Portugal on Thursday, giving Chelsea supporters a chance to see what they are missing.
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