5 AS Roma Players to Watch on International Duty Week of October 6

No Serie A this weekend, but a host of exciting qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2016 should make up for the loss of club football. 

A number of Roma's top players will be in action for their respective countries, and fans of the Lupi will be hoping that they can put the disappointing loss to Juventus behind them and help their national squads to move one step closer to the finals in France. 

Alessandro Florenzi

A lot of people thought that Cesare Prandelli could have used Alessandro Florenzi's industrious style of play in Brazil at the World Cup, and it seems Antonio Conte agrees. 

The 23-year-old Roman has been in fine form so far this season, most notably against Cagliari when he put in a blistering display and celebrated his goal in style with his grandmother. 

The former Juventus manager is likely to favour two of his players from the Bianconeri, Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Pirlo, in the midfield. Florenzi's energy and attacking ability would ensure dynamism and work-rate in the centre and also provide a goal threat behind the strikers if Conte chooses to use him in a deeper role.

If he's used in the position he normally plays for Roma—on either flank in the final third—then he'll link the Azzurri midfield, attack well and give the Azerbaijan defence plenty to think about. 

Mattia Destro

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With no Mario Balotelli or Giuseppe Rossi, this could be Mattia Destro's time to shine. 

The 23-year-old will have Inter's Dani Osvaldo, Southampton's Graziano Pelle, Juventus' Sebastian Giovinco, Borussia Dortmund's Ciro Immobile and Sassuolo's Simone Zaza for competition.

Zaza has made a good impression in his last two games, scoring his debut Azzurri goal against Norway, but without the Liverpool or Fiorentina stars ahead of him, Destro is now surely top of the Italy pecking order—alongside Immobile—based on his form and ability. 

Kostas Manolas

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He's suspended for the Giallorossi, but Claudio Ranieri can still make use of Kostas Manolas' fine form, and he'll almost certainly start for Greece in Finland. 

The centre-back is joined in the Greek squad by his club teammates Vasilis Torosidis and Jose Holebas, but all eyes will be on the 23-year-old defender, who's been one of the revelations of this Serie A season. 

Radja Nainggolan

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For a player of his ability, it's incredible that Radja Nainggolan only has six caps for Belgium. 

The 26-year-old from Antwerp is one of the best midfielders in Europe right now and should have been called up by Marc Wilmots to the World Cup squad this summer. 

Now that he's back in the fold, he needs to grab his chance, and make sure that he plays so well against Andorra and Bosnia-Herzegovina that Wilmots won't be able to drop him again. 

Miralem Pjanic

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Bosnia have two vital games this week, against Wales and the heavily favoured Belgians. And if they're to succeed, they'll need Miralem Pjanic at his mesmerising best. 

As gifted a playmaker as they come, the 24-year-old can score on his own, or unlock the attacking potential of a player like Chelsea's Edin Dzeko with one of his expertly-executed passes. 

A former attacking midfielder himself, coach Safet Susic will be looking to Pjanic for inspiration. The 59-year-old is under serious pressure right now, thanks to his side's shock defeat to Cyprus.

The man responsible for guiding the small nation to this summer's World Cup originally left after their early exit in Brazil, only to decide to stay on the national bench for Euro 2016. Now there are calls for him to be sacked, and the goodwill he earned as a player and by getting them to their first major tournament is quickly being eroded.