Liverpool’s international players are currently busy representing their countries in the World Cup qualifiers. Most of the club’s first-team squad have been called up for international duty during this break, with 17 players summoned to senior national teams as the qualifiers take centre stage.
Among those called up is Conor Bradley, who will be representing Northern Ireland as they face their Group A rivals. Notably, Germany is also in their group, setting up a clash between Bradley and his new Liverpool teammate Florian Wirtz this weekend.
Wirtz played the entire match in Germany’s opening qualifier on Thursday but was unable to make a difference on the scoreboard, leaving the four-time world champions eager for a win.
Ahead of Northern Ireland’s visit to the RheinEnergieStadion on Sunday, Bradley was asked if he had been in contact with Wirtz during the international break. The right-back revealed they shared “a few jokes” before heading off to their respective national teams.
Bradley also humorously said he would ask Wirtz to “take it easy” on Northern Ireland, who currently top their group following a 3-1 victory over Luxembourg. Germany, on the other hand, are under pressure after a surprising 2-0 loss to Slovakia in their previous game, thanks to goals from David Hancko and David Strelec.
“Florian is an incredible player. I’ve seen that in the weeks we’ve spent together and during pre-season as well. He’s a top player, so we’ll need to keep him quiet on Sunday,” Bradley told BBC Sport NI.
In addition to Wirtz and Bradley, several other Liverpool stars have been active for their national sides this international break.
Mohamed Salah scored from the penalty spot in Egypt’s 2-0 victory over Ethiopia. Meanwhile, Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, and Cody Gakpo all started for the Netherlands, who settled for a 1-1 draw against Poland.
Andy Robertson and Scotland also secured a goalless draw against Denmark.
Ibrahima Konate impressed during France’s 2-0 win over Ukraine, with Hugo Ekitike coming off the bench late in the match. Alisson kept a clean sheet as Brazil won 3-0 against Chile.
However, goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili experienced a tough night as Georgia lost 3-2 to Turkey.
Alexis Mac Allister remained on the bench in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Venezuela, while Alexander Isak was an unused substitute in Sweden’s 2-2 draw with Slovenia. Giovanni Leoni was not included in Italy’s squad for their match.
Dominik Szoboszlai, Milos Kerkez, and Wataru Endo have yet to feature for their countries, with Hungary and Japan scheduled to play against Ireland and Mexico later today and early Sunday.
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