6 Chelsea Players to Watch During November International Break

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has waved 15 first-team players off on international duty this week, per the official website.

His persistent insistence that Diego Costa should stay at Stamford Bridge has paid off, with the striker not called up to Vicente Del Bosque’s squad, per Goal, while Cesc Fabregas’ injury has been deemed serious enough for him to be released from his duties, per Anthony Chapman at The Express.

However, The Special One will still have plenty of players to keep an eye on. 

With so many to keep track of across the world, click through to see which Blues you should look out for in the hectic international schedule.

A full list of fixtures scheduled for this international break can be found via BBC Sport.

Oscar

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Brazil have two friendlies lined up over the international break, against Turkey and Austria respectively. While Neymar gets more goals for the Selecao, and the consequent headlines, Oscar is one of the key players for his national team. Normally deployed in a slightly deeper role to the one he enjoys at Chelsea, the 23-year-old is given free reign to roam around the midfield. His passing and movement make it easy to draw comparisons with Cesc Fabregas’ performances for the Blues so far, and he does not shirk his defensive duties.

While the calibre of the opposition suggest that these two games will be exhibition matches rather than real challenges, Oscar has the opportunity to show why Chelsea have locked him down on a deal that runs until 2019.

Filipe Luis

Chelsea supporters have not seen much of Filipe Luis this season as the left-back has been kept out of the squad by Cesar Azpilicueta. However, as the above video shows, he can still produce the goods for his country.

Cesar Azpilicueta

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Chelsea’s Spanish contingent has been depleted by Diego Costa’s ongoing hamstring problem and Cesc Fabregas’ thigh injury. However, Cesar Azpilicueta will still get a chance to shine for La Roja. Having missed three games through suspension, Spain’s matches against Belarus and Germany will give him the opportunity to regain any match sharpness he may have lost.

Andre Schurrle

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Andre Schurrle has been in and out of the Chelsea side since picking up a virus during the October international break. He will be returning to action for Germany’s games against Gibraltar and Spain, and he will want to take full advantage of Marco Reus’ absence through injury, per FoxSports.

Petr Cech

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Petr Cech has been in an unfamiliar position on the bench for much of this season but has been his usual impressive self when called upon. The Czech Republic face Iceland in their European Championship qualifier on Sunday, with Cech looking to edge closer to becoming his country's most-capped player.

Nathan Ake

EuroFootball/Getty Images

Nathan Ake has been called up to the Netherlands Under-21 side to face Germany in a friendly on Thursday. The versatile defender has been included in a handful of first-team games for Chelsea this season and could take this opportunity to ensure that he gets more game time when the Blues return to action in two weeks’ time.